Incumbents easily win recall election

Dan Kulin

Wednesday, April 7, 2004 | 10:59 a.m.

Boulder City's divisive recall election ended Tuesday with overwhelming victories by the two incumbents.

But while the campaign is over, the challengers say their issues will live on. They reiterated the point they hammered away at during the campaign: The fiscal problems at the city-owned Boulder Creek Golf Club will force the council to make many tough choices in the coming months if the city is to avoid further financial hardship.

The victorious incumbents, Mayor Bob Ferraro and Councilman Mike Pacini, don't agree with the dire financial forecast, however. Ferraro said business at the $22 million golf course seems to be on the way up, righting itself after a rough first year in which the course lost about $2 million.

Ferraro said he has heard Boulder Creek turned a slight operating profit in March, which would be the first month operation expenses didn't outpace revenues there.

And Pacini has proposed the city sell 1,500 acres, known as Dutchman's Pass, on the Henderson side of Railroad Pass. That sale could bring the city as much as $300 million, which would erase any lingering financial problems and provide money for future projects, he said.

Ferraro won with 59.9 percent of the vote and Pacini took 60.9 percent of the vote in the special election, beating their respective opponents by more than 1,000 votes each.

"That's a big difference from 18," Ferraro said referring to his 18-vote victory over former Councilman Bill Smith in the June general election. Ferraro beat Smith again in the recall election.

Pacini beat retired businessman Arn McLean, who was making his first run for public office, in the recall election.

Pacini, who was first elected to the council at 29 in 1997, said the election result "removes the black cloud that was hovering over us."

"The people in this community feel strongly that we should get back to work. They said, 'We want you to be there,' " Pacini said.

A little more than 60 percent of the city's registered voters cast ballots in the recall election, which acting City Manager Vicki Mayes said was the highest voter turnout since at least 1992 when she came to work for the city.

Ferraro said his sizable margin of victory and the high voter turnout happened because, "people were upset with the recall, they didn't think the recall was necessary."

Boulder City resident Linda Goodman was one of them.

"I think it's an absurdity," the 51-year-old said.

"Anyone in business knows that in the first years you're lucky to get out of debt. They're trying to be opportunist," Goodman said about those behind the recall. "The golf course is a good business venture. It just takes time."

Jim Jensen, 64, of Boulder City said the recall was "a great waste of taxpayers' money."

The recall cost about $25,000.

"The golf course seems to be the big thing stuck in people's craw. But it's a new one and just needs time," Jensen said. "It will work itself out and in five years we'll be saying, 'What was the big deal?' "

But others were glad the recall happened.

Richard Steinke, 62, of Boulder City, said a recall is residents' only way to hold their elected officials responsible for bad decisions without waiting years for the next election.

"I'd like to recall a lot of people," he said.

Ferraro, 69, who has been mayor or a councilman in Boulder City since 1976, said he expects the end of the recall won't mean the end of Smith's involvement in city issues.

"He'll still take shots at us," said Ferraro, who has now defeated Smith in three elections.

Smith, 78, said that while he won't run for elected office again, he will keep an eye on city issues after he returns from a 15-day cruise next month.

"I can't help myself," he said.

Smith also said he was satisfied with the election results.

"I feel much better than I would have if I'd won. I'm relieved," Smith said. "I was willing to do it but I wasn't chomping at the bit. I feel being on the council for the next few years isn't going to be pleasant."

Smith, who was on the council from 1997 to 2001, said that while he hopes he is wrong, he believes the financial losses at Boulder Creek will continue.

City officials say the course will have cost the city $3 million by June 30, and already the council has approved $1.2 million in budget cuts to free up money for the course. And a tentative budget for the coming fiscal year calls for no tax increases, but also includes no raises for city employees.

Also, the city's general fund reserves are now down to $2.3 million compared with $4.7 million nine months ago.

Smith said that while the golf course might have turned a slight operating profit in March, the course still isn't making enough to pay off the debt taken to build it.

Smith said the margin of Ferraro's victory is also good for the city.

Smith and some of his supporters had complained the city influenced the outcome of the June election. There was a city newsletter sent to all residents a month before the election that reiterated pre-opening financial projections for Boulder Creek that showed the course would turn a small profit after six months open.

Then, one week before the June vote and during the final days of early voting, an independent auditor told the council that Boulder Creek had lost about $480,000 in its first four months. Smith said if that information had come out any earlier it could have changed at least 10 voters' minds.

But such problems did not arise during the recall, and Smith said the voters were able to make a much more educated decision this time around.

"This puts the council in a much better position to lead," Smith said. "This was an honest election."

And with Ferraro's margin of victory so high, "people are not going to question the integrity of this election," he said.

McLean, 65, said although disappointed, he was not upset by loss.

"The people have spoken. There was a good turnout and they didn't see a need for a change," McLean said.

"I still think there are a lot of severe financial difficulties ahead, and nobody can deny that."