Henderson’s Provost only one raising less than challenger

Dan Kulin

Wednesday, April 2, 2003 | 9:14 a.m.

Incumbents seeking re-election in Henderson, North Las Vegas and Boulder City are raising and spending far more campaign money than their opponents in all but one municipal race, according to candidate reports filed Tuesday.

Henderson Municipal Judge John Provost was the only incumbent to raise less money than a challenger through March 27, according to campaign finance reports. Provost raised $28,677 compared with $34,385 gathered by Douglas Hedger, a chief deputy Clark County public defender. Both candidates loaned their campaigns money, Hedger at least $6,600 and Provost $7,500.

Provost spent more than Hedger in the last campaign reporting. Overall Provost spent $23,748 while Hedger spent about $700 less. They both spent much of their campaign funds on signs and to mail voters campaign literature.

Candidates were required to list all campaign contributions and expenditures from July 8, 1999, through last Thursday in reports that were due Tuesday. The reports are the last campaign finance disclosure forms candidates will submit before the April 8 primaries. Early voting ends Friday.

In all four of the City Council races in Henderson and North Las Vegas, the incumbents raised and spent more than $100,000 during that reporting period, with Henderson Councilman Andy Hafen leading all candidates in both categories.

Hafen, who is seeking re-election in Henderson's Ward 2, raised $206,498, including $5,000 donations from three Station casinos, Vestin Mortgage, Shustek Investments, Southwest Homes, Southern Highlands, Boyd Gaming, and the Terrible Herbst Oil Co.

Hafen also spent $176,669 on the campaign, buying signs, mailing campaign materials to voters, and putting some ads in local print media.

Meanwhile Rocco Tucker, who is running against Hafen, was the lone challenger to raise or spend more than $100,000.

Waging a campaign that has included billboards, campaign signs, and mailing campaign literature to voters cost Tucker's campaign $109,989.

Tucker raised $110,240 for his campaign, but about $80,000 of that came from Tucker as a loan to his campaign.

Fellow Henderson Ward 2 candidate Briana Ousley-Mitchell raised nothing and spent $125, according to her report.

The fourth candidate in that race, Jesse Harris, did not file a report. He could not be reached for comment Tuesday evening.

Candidates who do not file campaign finance reports face fines beginning at $25 a day for the first seven days, $50 a day for the next eight days, and $100 a day thereafter. The maximum fine for filing the reports late or failing to file the reports is $5,000.

Tucker was an anomaly among the challengers.

In the other Henderson council race, for example, incumbent Amanda Cyphers raised $146,149, which included $5,000 donations from each of the three Station casinos, and Boyd Gaming. Those donations were added to $63,600 already in her campaign account.

Cyphers also spent $128,502 on a campaign that has featured at least one billboard, campaign signs and mail-outs.

Cyphers' opponents in the city's Ward 1 however, aren't collecting anything close to the councilwoman's total.

Challenger Ann Barron raised $11,230, with the largest donation being a $4,000 loan from herself, and she spent $10,599 on her campaign.

And candidate Ed Molitoris raised $100 and spent $1,135 on his campaign.

Henderson Ward 4 Councilman Steven Kirk, who automatically won re-election when no one filed to run against him, raised $205,556 and spent $82,929 during the reporting period. Kirk's expenses included many donations to area charities, as well as signs and t-shirts for the campaign he didn't have to run.

In North Las Vegas, City Council candidate Nelson Stone waged the second most expensive campaign for a municipal challenger so far in this year's races.

Stone's campaign, which included numerous roadside signs and mailers, cost $43,518. Stone raised $51,050 for his campaign against long-time Councilman William Robinson.

Robinson, who represents the city's Ward 2, raised and spent about three times what Stone did.

Robinson raised $148,680, including $5,000 donations from the Palms hotel, the Cannery, Boulder Station and Craig Ranch Golf Course.

Robinson also received $10,000 from North Valley Enterprises LLC, a partnership between developers American Nevada Corp. and Del Webb. American Nevada is owned by the Greenspun family, which owns the Sun. Robinson spent $146,297, including at least $55,000 paid to Paladin Advertising, a Las Vegas political consulting firm.

The third candidate in the Ward 2 race, Howard Flebbe, raised no money and spent only $100, according to his report.

In North Las Vegas' other council race, incumbent Councilwoman Shari Buck's campaign spending is also far exceeding her challengers.

Buck collected $136,283, including $5,000 contributions from Olympia Land Corp., Tropicana Resort, Pardee Homes, Mission Industries, Palace Station, Texas Station, and Fiesta Rancho. Before that money rolled in, her campaign account was already at $90,783. She also spent $107,736 on her campaign, featuring several mailings.

Buck said that in her report filed Tuesday she only listed campaign activity since the Jan. 1, and not since July 1999 as the report requests. Buck said because she filed a similar report in January, as required, the information from earlier campaign activity has already been reported so she saw no need to be redundant.

Buck's latest report also showed that her campaign received $9,604 in in-kind donations, including $5,324 from Station Casinos for a fund-raiser. In-kind donations are donations of goods or services that the campaign would have otherwise had to pay for.

Buck's challengers were only able to raise and spend a fraction of what the incumbent did.

Challenger Bill Dolan raised $24,570, including a $5,000 loan from a Phyllis Dolan, and spent $21,653.

Candidate Honey Easter raised $1,155, and spent $1,209. Easter also received $19,631 in in-kind contributions, including 2,500 atlases valued at $12,425. Her campaign ads were attached to the front and back of the atlases before distribution to voters. The atlases came from the James Seastrand Helping Hands of North Las Vegas, a nonprofit organization for which Easter volunteers.

The fourth candidate, Lee Fuller, raised no money and spent only $125.

In North Las Vegas and Henderson, council members are elected at large, but there is only one council member from each ward.

In Boulder City, where all candidates represent the city at-large, the incumbents still carried a monetary advantage, but on a much smaller scale.

Mayor Bob Ferraro raised $39,690, including contributions of $1,000 from Nevada Power and the Las Vegas Chamber of Commerce; $2,500 from Mandalay Resort Group; and $5,000 from American Pacific Corp. The mayor spent $25,221, including more than $15,000 to Paladin Advertising, a Las Vegas political consulting firm.

Councilman Mike Pacini, who is running against Ferraro, raised $8,186, including $1,000 from Boulder Disposal, and spent $9,036, mostly on newspaper ads and signs.

Mayoral candidate Bill Smith, a former councilman, raised $4,350, including $2,025 he gave his own campaign. He spent $2,266.

In the race for two seats on council, incumbent Bryan Nix led all candidates in raising $28,246 and spending $27,045.

Like the other council candidates most of Nix's expenses were related to campaign signs and newspaper ads.

Candidate Roger Tobler raised $10,376 and spent $7,719.

Dick Bravo raised $9,165, including a $900 loan from himself, and spent $8,566.

Karla Burton raised $7,523, including $3,520 coming from herself, and spent $4,531.

Anthony Pakula gave himself $100 and spent $75 of it.

Susan Higley raised no money and has spent only $50.

Kevin Polk did not file his campaign finance report by the Tuesday deadline. Polk said he just ran out of time and would file the report today.

Polk said he has probably raised and spent about $2,400 on his campaign.

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