Wednesday, June 4, 2003 | 11:18 a.m.
Helped by an FBI political corruption investigation that entangled incumbent Las Vegas Councilman Michael McDonald, political newcomer Janet Moncrief crushed the incumbent to win the election Tuesday.
After a campaign in which the two sides traded charges, Moncrief easily won the Ward 1 seat 58 to 42 percent.
"I'm going to get in and get really strong people behind me," Moncrief said at a victory party Tuesday night. "I know I need to learn a lot, but I'm going to work hard to learn everything I need to."
She attributed her victory to her door-to-door effort.
"I think it was my honesty," she said. "Walking door to door, I felt what they felt. I was listening to their needs and feeling what was being neglected."
The race for the Ward 1 seat became contentious after Moncrief's successful showing against McDonald in the primary. Moncrief outpolled McDonald, receiving 48 percent of the vote to McDonald's 44 percent. Moncrief said she could have won the election outright in the primary with more than 50 percent of the vote had there not been a third opponent.
"I think people were ready for a change," Moncrief said. "I felt my numbers were pretty consistent as they were in the primary, but anybody identified by the FBI, it's not going to be positive."
McDonald, who had been praised by some constituents for his work in the ward, was plagued by ethical charges and, with three weeks left in the campaign, an FBI probe. Investigators searched two topless clubs owned by the Galardi family seeking documents regarding payments to McDonald and a handful of other politicians.
McDonald campaign manager Jim Ferrence had said after the primary that he thought the campaign could mount a comeback rally.
"I thought we were gaining some headway, but you can't overcome two weeks of bad press during early voting," he said.
Asked about the FBI investigation, McDonald jokingly said, "Oh, no, that could have nothing to do with it."
"It really doesn't matter," McDonald added. "It's part of politics. The timing could have been different, but there's no excuses. In the end, the voters decided."
Although both candidates said they walked the ward to meet voters, Moncrief said that many people she met had never seen McDonald.
Getting out and meeting voters was a key part of the campaign, said Michael Bowers, a professor of political science at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas.
"She walked the district; that was very important for her because she was labeled as a carpetbagger who didn't live in the district," Bowers said. "The other thing I think she did right is she seems to have run a fairly positive campaign."
After the primary shocker, McDonald's camp took aim at Moncrief and her character. Ferrence filed a complaint with the Secretary of State's office saying Moncrief and primary candidate Peter "Chris" Christoff, along with former Stratosphere owner Bob Stupak and political consultant Tony Dane, were the masterminds and financiers behind numerous negative campaign fliers that were not listed in campaign finance reports filed by the candidates and political action committees.
Moncrief has denied the allegations.
She and McDonald continued to exchange numerous blows through the campaign. McDonald highlighted Moncrief's lack of interest in the political process by showing that she registered to vote just before signing up to run in February and highlighted her recent move into the ward to run for the seat.
McDonald's camp also attacked Moncrief for a 1994 DUI arrest, a charge that was later reduced to careless driving.
None of it seemed to matter to voters.
The negative campaign was "what he wanted to do," said Moncrief, whose campaign sent out several hard-hitting mailers that targeted McDonald's ethics.
"I had no idea it would be this dirty," she said, noting that she was not angry with McDonald. "I learned that the Ward 1 citizens were not listening to what they were saying."
Bowers said McDonald "went wrong" by taking the primary for granted.
"He should have worked harder to get voters out to win that primary," Bowers said. "Following that we had the (FBI's) 'G-sting' operation, which clearly hurt him even if he's not a target."
McDonald acknowledged that since he has been in office he has been paid by strip club owner Mike Galardi to be a consultant on zoning and land planning issues. But McDonald has said repeatedly that he is not a target of the investigation.
McDonald said he plans to stay involved in the community and the nonprofit groups he worked with while in office.
"To serve the ward for the past eight years was an honor and a privilege and something I won't be able to return," he said to his supporters' applause. "Everyone kept asking me how I can take the beatings and how I can keep standing, and it's because of my family."
At his campaign headquarters Tuesday night, surrounded by people wearing T-shirts emblazoned with "I like Mike," McDonald conceded before 9 p.m., congratulating Moncrief.
"This night belongs to her," he said. "I wish her the best. There's no excuses. We did our best."
Moncrief grew up in Moline, Ill., and left there at age 26. After living in Georgia and Florida, Moncrief headed to Las Vegas about 13 years ago. She has since worked at University Medical Center as a recovery room nurse. She currently works weekends at UMC and manages the Trinidad Surgery Center, which caters to uninsured patients. Moncrief said she helps with surgeries such as gallbladder removals for a mostly Hispanic clientele after hours.
She said she will be a representative for all parts of the ward and will periodically walk the area so that she doesn't lose touch with the voters.
"I'm going to make it a better place to live," she said.
Her daughter, 22-year-old Kara Moncrief, called the election exciting.
"People thought she wouldn't do it from the start, but she has the type of personality where she can pull anything off," she said.
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