Friday, June 21, 2002 | 9:13 a.m.
If a double-sided campaign sign were erected on the Laughlin side of the Colorado River, it could hype a candidate for public administrator on its face and the same guy for Congress on the rear.
That's because Mike Schaefer, a Republican candidate for Clark County public administrator, is also running for Arizona's 2nd Congressional District -- a region that includes Bullhead City, across the river from Laughlin.
Not only are his signs in both states, but the "Safer with Schaefer for Congress" signs in Arizona are left over from his 2000 bid for Congress in California.
How is this possible?
Schaefer says a 2000 ruling by the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals on a residency case he filed settles it for him.
"They said there's no residency requirements for federal office," Schaefer said.
Hillary Rodham Clinton might agree, but what happens if Schaefer wins both races?
"I'd rather be a member of the U.S. Congress," he said. "I'd ask the Clark County Commission to appoint someone to the public administrator's position, which they are already saying should be an appointive position."
Schaefer, a 64-year-old attorney who was disbarred by the Nevada Supreme Court, is a former San Diego city councilman who has run for office more than a dozen times in Nevada and California.
Schaefer's son lives near Kingman, Ariz., and when Rep. Bob Stump, R-Ariz., decided not to seek re-election, Schaefer entered the Republican primary. Schaefer went door to door in Kingman collecting more than 1,000 signatures to support his candidacy as a part-time Glendale resident, and he's serious about taking on six other Republican challengers.
But wouldn't Nevada voters be disappointed he'd prefer to serve Arizona's residents?
"No, they should be happy with a Congress-caliber candidate for public administrator," he said.
Residency Part Deux
Amid all of the talk of a possible special session of the Legislature is a little discussed state law that could lead to major changes in both houses if the 63 lawmakers are required to go to Carson City early.
Mark James resigned his state Senate seat because he moved in order to run for the Clark County Commission. State Sen. Jon Porter, R-Henderson, has also moved out of his Senate district for his run for Congress.
Neither would be able to participate in a special session because they no longer live in the district they were elected to serve.
But the list might not stop there.
Brenda Erdoes, attorney for the Legislative Counsel Bureau, said there's no clear answer about the participation of lawmakers who moved out of their old districts, but moved into the boundaries of the newly changed districts due to reapportionment.
Assemblyman David Goldwater moved out of his home and into a new one. The old home is no longer in his Assembly district.
Since state law requires resignation if someone vacates his or her district, Erdoes said, technically Goldwater would not be able to participate in a special session.
But, she said, because he is in the new District 10, she does not know if anyone would take him to court about it.
"If somebody really wanted to challenge it, they could," Erdoes said.
Goldwater said he moved one block and would be happy to rent an apartment in the old part of the district if it satisfied state law to allow him to take part in a special session.
But the silliness of the whole issue has him pondering how his entire life in District 10 -- from his birth at Sunrise Hospital to his attendance at Bishop Gorman High School and UNLV -- now is questioned because of a one-block move.
If someone wanted to challenge Goldwater, Assembly Democrats Bob Price and Vonne Chowning might be included. Both North Las Vegas representatives moved in order to seek re-election because their former homes were drawn out of their district during reapportionment.
And that could leave the Democratic-majority Clark County Commission with five appointments to the state Legislature in the event of a special session.
Commissioners Erin Kenny, Dario Herrera, Myrna Williams and Yvonne Atkinson Gates must be rubbing their hands expectantly and hoping for consensus between docs, lawyers and insurers. And you can bet whoever they would appoint would be on speed dial to the Nevada Trial Lawyers Association.
Union support
More than 6,000 delegates of one of the nation's largest individual unions -- the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees -- will converge on Las Vegas next week with national politicians in tow.
New Jersey Gov. Jim McGreevey and a host of Democrats running for Congress will all be on hand, as will President Josiah Bartlet -- er, Martin Sheen.
AFSCME President Gerald McEntee is also chairman of the AFL-CIO's political action network and said he thinks Nevada's 3rd Congressional District is one of about 20 seats nationwide that are "in play."
What does that mean to Democratic hopeful Dario Herrera? His share of the $9 million AFSCME alone will pour into advertising for federal races this cycle. The AFL-CIO will have about $35 million to distribute for voter mobilization efforts.
"The Republican Party in the House is looked upon by working families and trade unionists as being very far to the right," McEntee said. "The actions of (House Majority Leader) Tom DeLay and the others make our arguments more powerful."
Although AFSCME won't be supporting Jon Porter in the CD3 race, the union does think Republican Gov. Kenny Guinn has "been fair to our people," McEntee said.
"He is philosophically in favor of collective bargaining for state employees," McEntee added.
Christian commentary
Las Vegas City Councilwoman Lynette Boggs McDonald can't understand all the criticism she's taken for her Scripture-quoting references at a recent meeting.
And she wants to clarify that when she said "We are Christian people," she didn't mean her six council colleagues, two of whom are Jewish.
She and her husband, Steven, are the Christian people, she said.
Emptying the notebook
For the record
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