Goodman conducting ‘informal’ candidate interviews

Stephen Curran

Friday, April 23, 2004 | 9:38 a.m.

Las Vegas Mayor Oscar Goodman said he has interviewed more than a dozen candidates and was keeping an "open mind" in the process to fill the City Council seat vacated by Lynette Boggs McDonald, now a Clark County commissioner.

Speaking at his weekly press conference, Goodman said the process is "informal," and he said each member of the council is interviewing candidates individually. He said he had not discussed any candidates with other council members.

Boggs McDonald started work at the county this week, a few weeks after Gov. Kenny Guinn appointed her.

The council -- citing a need for more time to interview up to 20 people vying for the Boggs McDonald's former Ward 2 council seat -- voted Wednesday to postpone its decision to appoint a new council member until at least May 5.

Still in the race is architect and former Las Vegas Planning Commissioner Craig Galati. Galati resigned his position in October 2003 after his firm, Lucchesi, Galati Architects, accepted a $2.1 million contract with the city to build the Centennial Hills Leisure Center in northwest Las Vegas.

When asked Thursday about Galati's business interests, Goodman said that he discusses potential conflicts of interest with each candidate.

The mayor added that each interview -- at about 15 minutes -- does not afford him enough time to discuss in detail each candidate's stance on key development issues.

Galati said his firm was selected through a city process in which consultants are listed and, as city projects materialize, firms are contacted.

His firm had been on the list for at least two years, Galati added.

"All of a sudden our name came up," Galati said. "It was our turn on the list."

After reviewing the revised city ethics codes with Las Vegas City Attorney Brad Jerbic, Galati said he decided to step down.

"I stepped down to protect my business," Galati said. "It was a tough decision. I enjoyed serving on the commission."

Galati is one of the 12 to 15 candidates Goodman has interviewed, the mayor told a contingent of reporters and visiting schoolchildren.

Goodman at the news conference declined to discuss any front-runners for the seat, adding that the council was looking primarily at "electability, a love for the city and the commitment to work their tails off.

"I'm keeping my mind open," Goodman said. "I promised the people I would do that and I'm going to keep my promise."

The council postponed Wednesday's scheduled vote to allow Goodman and other council members time to interview candidates for the seat.

A decision is expected at the council's next meeting.

Councilman Michael Mack, himself a 1999 council appointee for Ward 6, has interviewed about 15 of the candidates. While he would not comment on exactly whom he is leaning toward, he did say he has narrowed the field to five or six top contenders.

"There are some great candidates," Mack said. "There are a good five or six that I like, but without interviewing them all I can't say."

He did say that he is looking for someone with an "in the trenches" attitude -- a willingness to work with neighborhood and city agencies -- that was Boggs McDonald's strong suit.

Mack, who was appointed in 1999 to the newly created Ward 6 on a 3-2 vote, added that he was confident the council would reach a unanimous decision by May 5.

"It was brutal," Mack said of his appointment process. "It was very interesting. I don't want to see anyone go through what I went through."

In addition to the standard round of interviews, Las Vegas defense attorney and council candidate Steve Wolfson -- touting endorsements from the Las Vegas Police Protective and West Charleston Neighborhood associations -- also enlisted the help of Las Vegas public relations firm Gray and Associates.

Wolfson has had a long-standing relationship with the firm, which managed the 2002 campaign of his wife, District Judge Jackie Glass. He first contacted political consultant Gary Gray six months ago about the opening, he said.

"When I received these big endorsements (from the Las Vegas Police Protective and West Charleston Neighborhood associations), I thought it was appropriate to let the public know about these groups," he said. "I didn't really plan any big media release, but I think the public should know about this."

Gray, saying he and Wolfson talked about the bid for Boggs McDonald's seat "off and on" in the last six months, is promoting Wolfson's campaign free of charge, he said.

Galati is supported by the Las Vegas Chamber of Commerce, which in a letter last week from president Kara Kelley said that his experience as an architect and city planner best prepare him to handle a fast-growing city.

Another high-profile candidate for the position is city Planning Director Bob Genzer, who would retire after 30 years working for the city.

Genzer is drawing upon his experience working for the city, adding that, once retired, he could devote himself to being a "full-time councilman."

"I'm basically looking at my 30-year record as an employee of the city of Las Vegas," Genzer said. "That should be weighed against what the other candidates have to offer. That's my basic pitch."

Others whose names have been mentioned as possible candidates include Terry Garcia-Cahlan, a former elected member of the state Board of Education; planning commissioner Richard Truesdell; Geoffrey VanderPal, president of the Southern Nevada chapter of the Financial Planning Association; Margarita Rebollal, executive director of the Las Vegas Community Development Corp.; Danny Tarkanian, son of former UNLV basketball coach Jerry Tarkanian and former school board member Lois Tarkanian; and Steve Greco, a member of multiple boards and commissions in Summerlin.

Greco was previously appointed by Boggs McDonald to the Child Care Licensing Board.

City rules allow the council 30 days to appoint a replacement for Boggs McDonald, whose term ends in 2005. Her replacement would then have to run in the next municipal election.