Friday, July 18, 2003 | 9:29 a.m.
A little political scandal is like chum in the water for the circling sharks considering a bid for higher office.
But Clark County Commission Chairwoman Mary Kincaid-Chauncey said three politicians who are eyeing a run for a vacant commission seat won't get a chance at hers.
"I am going to run," Kincaid-Chauncey said. "I have just started my fund-raising.
Kincaid-Chauncey's commission District B is centered in North Las Vegas and has 7,000 more registered Democrats than Republicans, fueling speculation about several Democrats from North Las Vegas seeking her seat.
North Las Vegas City Councilwomen Shari Buck and Stephanie Smith and Assemblyman Kelvin Atkinson, D-North Las Vegas, all have explored making a bid for Kincaid-Chauncey's seat next year in the event she decided not to run.
"I actually have talked to Shari and Stephanie and they basically said they would run if I don't," Kincaid-Chauncey said.
Atkinson said that while he hasn't talked to Kincaid-Chauncey, he would consider running if the seat became available.
Atkinson has worked for the county for 11 years and recently had been a liaison to County Commissioner Dario Herrera.
Buck and Smith could not be reached for comment.
Kincaid-Chauncey is one of several local public officials targeted by Operation G-Sting, a federal investigation that , among other things, is examining reported payments from adult cabaret owners to public officials.
Kincaid-Chauncey and her husband, Robert Chauncey, were two of the people named in search warrants.
The commission chairwoman acknowledged receiving a donation from the Galardi family, which runs strip clubs in Las Vegas and San Diego, and said she put it in a trust fund that helps children.
No charges have been filed and no arrests have been made in connection with the investigation.
Partying with LaRouche
State Sen. Joe Neal doesn't mind being considered a maverick.
So it's little wonder that the Democrat ignored by his own party should go to bat for another Democrat ignored by the party.
Neal, D-North Las Vegas, allowed his name to be used on a letter seeking perennial Democratic presidential contender Lyndon LaRouche to participate in debates.
"They wanted to use my name and I said, 'If it helps, go ahead' " Neal said.
Neal also traveled back to Washington at the start of the month for a LaRouche rally that Neal said included information about whether U.S. intelligence about Iraq purchasing nuclear material from Niger was accurate.
"They really know what they're talking about when it comes to that," Neal said. "I went back to see if it was true what they were saying, and I think it is."
This isn't the first time Neal has cited LaRouche's organization for international information.
Last October, when Neal was the Democratic candidate for governor, he condemned a ballot question seeking to legalize possession of marijuana because he said the group financing the initiative counted George Soros as a major donor.
Neal cited a LaRouche newsletter report that Soros had backed movements in South America that aided drug suppliers.
LaRouche and his organization are criticized by some as anti-Semitic and fascist. To others LaRouche is just a political oddball.
"I don't believe everything they say," Neal said. "I don't know if I'm going to vote for him; they are out there on a lot of things."
Banking on support
The litany of disclosures by state senators this year about their ties to banks is being pointed to by some Assembly members as a reason the upper house is so hesitant to tax banks.
The latest tax plan meltdown Wednesday occurred after Sen. Maurice Washington, R-Sparks, railed against a financial institutions tax, calling it unfair to tax one industry.
Moments later when he proposed taxing one industry, albeit gaming, many began to wonder what he had against taxing banks.
Well, sources tell the Sun that Washington has recently been offered a spot on the board of Wells Fargo Bank in Nevada. And if he accepts, he'll join the not-so-select fraternity of senators in similar positions.
It's unclear whether that's why he's so opposed to bank-specific taxes, or why he pushed to get financial institutions exempted from paying the current business license tax.
Washington could not be reached Thursday for comment.
Senate Majority Leader Bill Raggio, R-Reno, leads the way with ties to banks. Partners at his law firm represent the banking industry. Sens. Randolph Townsend, R-Reno, and Bernice Mathews, D-Sparks, serve on the boards of banks.
Sen. Bob Coffin's wife and Sen. Ann O'Connell's husband also serve on the boards of banks. Only O'Connell abstains from votes involving banks.
He said it
"Just this morning Martha Stewart sold all of her Nevada state bonds."
-- Sen. Terry Care, D-Las Vegas, after a federal district judge restrained the Legislature from further consideration of a tax bill to fund education.06
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