Tuesday, March 25, 2003 | 10:51 a.m.
Candidate bios
Gary Reese
Age: 62.
Occupation: Barber and Las Vegas City Councilman.
Endorsements: Laborer's International Union No. 872; Las Vegas Police Protective Association; Las Vegas City Employees' Association; International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, Local357; Las Vegas Chamber of Commerce; Culinary Workers Union Local 226; Las Vegas Fire Fighters Local 1285; Southern Nevada Central Labor Council; Las Vegas Police Protective Association Civilian Employees, Inc; Las Vegas Police Managers and Supervisors; Southwest Regional Council of Carpenters; Sheet Metal Workers' International Association ,Local 88; Fraternal Order of Police, Las Vegas Lodge No. 1; Service Employees International Union Local 1107; Latin Chamber of Commerce.
Fernando Romero
Age: 56.
Occupation: Consultant.
Endorsements: None.
Keith Vanderwyst
Age: 28.
Occupation: Draftsman.
Endorsements: None.
Las Vegas Councilman Gary Reese's barber shop is nestled between a "Quiropractico" office and "Mi Pueblito Salon de Belleza," next door to "La Tiendita."
The Spanish-language storefronts are a sign of the changing community of eastern Las Vegas' Ward 3, where more than half of the population is of Hispanic descent, according to the Census Bureau.
The numbers don't scare Reese, even though he is facing Hispanic civic activist Fernando Romero in the April 8 primary election. Keith Vanderwyst is also in the race. Early voting is under way and continues through April 4.
"The community has gone through a change but my office and I have worked closely with the Hispanic community," Reese said. "The Hispanic leaders support my efforts."
Reese got a big boost from Hispanic leaders this week: The Latin Chamber of Commerce endorsed him.
Brian Ayala, chairman of the Latin Chamber's Government Affairs Committee, said Reese won the endorsement because of the many contributions he has made to the community.
But Ayala, in his announcement, also had accolades for Romero.
"The commitment and contributions of (Romero) cannot be understated," he wrote. "Fernando Romero is a true leader and visionary in the Latino community. Without his tireless efforts and dedication to the Latino community over the past 30 years, the advancements made within our community would not be the same."
Romero, who is a member of the Latin Chamber of Commerce and even served on the board for 14 years, said he is baffled by the chamber's decision.
"If I'm supposed to be the guru that Ayala makes me out to be, then why did they opt to endorse someone who is not Hispanic when they have a highly qualified Hispanic running for the position?" Romero said. "I do not understand it. It is the most incredulous thing that has happened in a long, long time."
Michael Bowers, a political science professor at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, said while the district is predominantly Hispanic, those who can vote may not make it to the polls.
"Hispanics are the least organized group in the state," he said. "They tend not to register to vote and those that do (register) tend not to vote."
Of the 19,223 active registered voters in the district, 5,117 are Hispanic, according to Ethnic Data Services Inc., a local research firm.
The district stretches east from Interstate 15 to Nellis Boulevard, with Owens Avenue as the northern boundary and Sahara Avenue and Charleston Boulevard as the southern boundaries.
Romero has lived in Las Vegas for 36 years and has served on numerous boards and commissions. He is currently a Clark County Housing Authority commissioner. Romero said he knows that in order to best represent the ward he needs to reach out to all of the community, not just the Hispanic population.
"I'm doing a lot of walking," he said. "I'm knocking on every single door I can knock on, whether it's Hispanic or otherwise."
Vanderwyst, who moved to Las Vegas from Cleveland in late October, also says he's making his way through the ward's neighborhoods.
"My time here has been well spent," he said. "I'm pretty aware of what's going on in many areas of Las Vegas."
With two opponents, including one well-known in the community, Reese wasn't going to take any chances this election. In 1999 he beat challenger Nevada Stupak in the general election by just 139 votes. Reese outspent Stupak $532,784 to $73,673.
In the municipal primaries if one candidate secures more than 50 percent of the vote, there is no general election for that race. If not, then the top two vote-getters square off on June 3.
For this election, Reese hired political consultants Gary Gray and Mark Benoit, who have assembled a grass-roots effort to reach out to voters, hear complaints and garner support for Reese.
"We've knocked on every door more than four times," Reese said. "Last time people came into the barber shop after (the election) and said, 'I thought you were a shoo-in, so I didn't vote.' "
Gary and Derrill's Plaza Barber Shop, at Eastern Avenue and Bonanza Road, is sometimes referred to as City Hall East because many people pop in to voice complaints or concerns while Reese cuts hair.
"I've been right here for 40 years," he said, pointing to his cutting station.
Reese spent two years on the Board of Zoning and then four years on the Planning Commission before running for office in 1995. If elected again, this will be his third four-year term. The part-time job pays $40,664 a year.
"I've never missed a meeting and I've never been late," Reese said. "Those that have supported me have gotten their money's worth."
Romero doesn't think that's the case.
He says things in the district have not gotten better and that people feel they are not being heard. He cites a recent vote by the City Council to create the city's first historic district, in Ward 3, with many residents opposing the project.
"People feel taken advantage of," he said. "There is a great segment of the district that wanted the council to leave well enough alone. That, to me, was really an injustice to a number of people who live in the area."
Reese, who voted for the designation, said he knew the decision was a controversial one but stands by his vote.
"Believe it or not, I had people ask me why didn't I just put it off until after the election," he said. "And believe me, it could have been very easy to hold it in abeyance, but I never duck the issues. My mom and dad raised me never to run from anything."
Reese said if he is elected again he wants to get a noise wall put into neighborhoods that abut U.S. 95 and address public safety concerns with Metro Police -- all while he continues working from his barber shop.
"If someone ever told me a few years ago that I'd be doing what I'm doing, I would have laughed at them," he said. "Long after I'm done with politics I'll still be cutting hair."
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