Claims of threats heat up Ward 1

Judy Odierna

Monday, May 19, 2003 | 11:03 a.m.

Las Vegas City Council candidate Janet Moncrief's camp sent out automated phone messages to Ward 1 voters Friday warning that campaign workers for the incumbent, Michael McDonald, were threatening people who said they would not be voting for him.

If McDonald's campaign workers show up at your door, the message said, you should keep it closed and call 911. It also said that the FBI and Metro Police had been notified about the alleged intimidation tactics. Authorities, however, said they were unaware of any official complaints being filed.

Moncrief said she did not know who within in her campaign had put the phone bank together but she approved of the move.

"I'm happy with who is working with me," Moncrief said. "Maybe it was a little aggressive of a tactic, but something had to be done."

Moncrief said her campaign received several phone calls from voters who said they were threatened by McDonald walkers using Palm Pilots to track registered voters. Moncrief said McDonald's walkers threatened voters by telling them that they knew who they were and where they lived.

Jim Ferrence, McDonald's campaign manager, said none of the campaign's neighborhood walkers has ever made such a threat. He said many of the campaign workers are college students.

The phone warning "is total B.S.," Ferrence said. "They are just worried about our Palm Pilot program because we have identified up to 7,000 supporters. They are just trying to undo our program."

McDonald's camp equips walkers with Palm Pilots that list the households of registered voters. They use the information while going door-to-door to track McDonald's potential votes. Moncrief's camp uses a printout that also lists registered voters in her door-to-door campaign.

The phone bank is just the latest development in what has been an extremely contentious battle for the Ward 1 seat since Moncrief outpolled McDonald in the primary. McDonald was hit hard by negative mailers in the final days of the primary battle and his camp has suggested that Moncrief was behind them. Moncrief has repeatedly denied the charge.

Ferrence filed filed a complaint with the Secretary of State's office saying Moncrief, primary candidate Peter "Chris" Christoff, along with former Stratosphere owner Bob Stupak and political consultant Tony Dane were the masterminds and financiers behind the mailers. McDonald's campaign complained that the mailers were unaccounted for on campaign reports and were sent underunregistered political action committees to hit McDonald without using Moncrief's name.

Moncrief acknowledges that Dane is her campaign manager.