Commission leadership likely set for coming year

Thursday, Dec. 26, 2002 | 11:13 a.m.

Commissioner Mary Kincaid-Chauncey appears to be the consensus choice to lead the Clark County Commission for the next 12 months.

Several commissioners and Clark County Manager Thom Reilly said Kincaid-Chauncey, a Democrat, has unanimous support to be named chairwoman of the powerful board.

"It appears, as it stands right now, (Kincaid-Chauncey) will be the chair and Chip Maxfield will be the vice chair," Reilly said. "It just kind of fell into place."

Unless a major division occurs in the next two weeks, Kincaid-Chauncey will be sworn in as chairwoman Jan. 6, Reilly said.

Reilly said the selection of Kincaid-Chauncey came without any of the contentious wrangling that has marked some previous selections.

"Even the seating assignments in past years were contentious," Reilly said. "This year it's fine."

Commissioner Yvonne Atkinson Gates said the position was Kincaid-Chauncey's for the asking because nobody else on the commission wanted the job.

"The mere fact that nobody else was interested solves most of the problems," Gates said.

Kincaid-Chauncey said she offered her support to Commissioner Myrna Williams, but Williams declined the offer.

Williams confirmed the account, explaining that she has a lot to do already with her continuing presence on the Southern Nevada Water Authority and county debt-management boards.

Reilly said Maxfield, a Republican, appears to be the consensus choice as vice chairman of the commission. Although the chairman's selection does not always reflect the political division on the board, this year it does: The board has four Democrats and three Republicans.

The top spot on the commission has limited powers. The chairman, or chairwoman, has an equal vote with the other six members of the board, Reilly said. The chairman's main job is to act as chief parliamentary officer during board meetings.

But the chairwoman also has the ability to select who will speak and for how long. Additionally, as the center seat on the dais of the board, the position can be a bully pulpit to speak out on community issues.

Outgoing Commission Chairman Dario Herrera, who ran unsuccessfully for Congress in November, said the chairman's job can be a tough one.

The best advice he can give Kincaid-Chauncey is "to make certain to work with all of the commissioners," Herrera said.

"It's a balancing act between meeting the needs of the individual commissioners and moving forward with the needs of the community, with running efficient meetings but giving the public ample time to participate," he said.

Maxfield, Commissioner Bruce Woodbury and newly elected Commissioners Rory Reid and Mark James, who will be sworn in Jan. 6, were not immediately available for comment.

But Kincaid-Chauncey, Williams and Atkinson Gates agreed that the biggest challenge for the board over the next 12 months will be county finances.

Like the state government, the county faces budget hurdles in the midst of a slow economy. The three commissioners said the board also will have to fight a likely attempt by the Legislature to take some local revenue sources.

"With the downturn in the economy and with the state looking at our revenue sources, we're going to have a real concern about how to provide the services that we have traditionally provided," Kincaid-Chauncey said.

She said some of the biggest concerns will be funding work at McCarran International Airport, continuing to fund indigent care and solving the fiscal crisis at University Medical Center, the public hospital for the county.

"And of course water is going to be a real challenge," Kincaid-Chauncey said, as the region struggles with a drought that has lasted years and has been dubbed the worst in modern Colorado River history.

Kincaid-Chauncey's commission district includes the northern part of Clark County, including the city of Mesquite, the town of Logandale, Nellis Air Force Base, North Las Vegas and unincorporated parts of the urban core.

Kincaid-Chauncey, a former North Las Vegas councilwoman, is midway through her second four-year term on the county commission.