Montandon to have brain tumor removed

Dan Kulin

Thursday, May 22, 2003 | 11:21 a.m.

North Las Vegas Mayor Michael Montandon will have a golf ball-sized, non-cancerous brain tumor removed within the next few weeks.

Montandon, 39, said he went to his doctor after headaches he has had for years began to get worse. They had also come more frequently since the beginning of the year, he said.

A brain scan conducted about two weeks ago revealed the mayor had a 4-centimeter tumor, he said. The tumor hasn't slowed Montandon, who continues to work and chair City Council meetings.

"I'm working every day and feeling fine," Montandon said. "A little Excedrin and I'm fine."

Montandon said his wife, Antoinette, with whom he has five children, convinced him to give up dirt-motorcycle racing after the tumor was discovered. But the mayor said age, not the tumor, was the primary factor in that decision.

The mayor said he also suffered some hearing loss in his right ear a couple of months ago. But his doctors don't think that is related to the tumor, he said.

An exact date for the surgery has not been set but it will happen within the next couple of weeks, he said.

The surgery will be done at the Barrow Neurological Institute in Phoenix, which is where Montandon was raised. He still has many relatives there.

The surgery and recovery will probably keep Montandon away from work for a few weeks, he said.

"I'm very optimistic about it," Montandon said. "And there's been a wonderful outpouring of support."

City Councilman William Robinson, who serves as mayor pro tem on the council, will chair any council meetings in Montandon's absence.

"I just pray that everything goes OK," Robinson said. "We're hoping and praying he'll return real soon."

In North Las Vegas the day-to-day operations of the city government are overseen by the city manager, not elected officials.

The mayor hasn't shown any public signs of illness, leading the Wednesday council meeting with his usual mix of seriousness and humor.

Montandon has also remained busy at work. He is in sales and marketing at Nevada Construction Services.

Montandon was elected mayor of North Las Vegas in 1997.