Five of seven commission seats are up for grabs

Friday, April 30, 2004 | 9:22 a.m.

You can tell election season is around the corner, because Clark County Commission candidates are beginning to snipe at each other.

With a less-than-competitive slate of federal races, the county's top officials are center stage, with five of the commission's seven seats at least theoretically up for grabs.

The two-week filing period for the fall elections begins Monday, and is likely to attract both a host of well-known names and some political outsiders for the five commission seats. Observers from across the political spectrum say that this year's local election, which accompanies a presidential race nationally, is likely to bring with it unusually ferocious political battles.

And don't expect the ferocity to escape the County Commission races.

Among the five, two races have gained the most attention. Commissioner Mary Kincaid-Chauncey, facing trial next year on federal corruption charges, is in what looks like the fight of her political life as she faces two strong contenders in the September Democratic primary and a strong Republican challenger in the November general election.

Next door to her northern district, newly appointed Commissioner Lynette Boggs-McDonald is certain to have opposition in the general election and could face a Republican challenger in the primary as well. Boggs-McDonald is an incumbent, but her would-be opponents hope that the rule generally favoring the incumbent could be bent and maybe broken because of her relatively short tenure.

In both the closely watched races, not all the players are set. State Sen. Mike Schneider, D-Las Vegas, said he still doesn't know if he will run for Boggs-McDonald's District F seat. If he does, he is likely to face Assemblyman David Goldwater in the Democratic primary. Goldwater said he is "99.99 percent" likely to run, and is counting on union support.

Boggs-McDonald, until her appointment to the commission a Las Vegas city councilwoman, could face a challenger in the primaries, lawyer Tim Cory.

Boggs-McDonald, whom Gov. Kenny Guinn appointed after Commissioner Mark James resigned after 15 months in office, is aware of two facts that would ordinarily tend to favor a Democrat in District F. Democrats have a 9,000-vote plurality in the district, and there is a strong union component in the district.

Both factors helped keep former commissioner Erin Kenny, now implicated in the same corruption scandal that has tarred Kincaid-Chauncey, in office for three terms.

Ryan Erwin, a political consultant for November Inc. who works for Boggs-McDonald, said his candidate has always benefited from significant crossover voting and is working to defuse the union issue. He said discussions have begun with the powerful Culinary Union "on an informal basis."

Nobody should take a Culinary endorsement for granted, or believe that such an endorsement would guarantee a victory, Erwin said.

"Any candidate that would get in the race expecting that would carry them would be shortsighted," he said. "Lynette has a 100 percent voting record with (the) Culinary on the City Council."

However, before her appointment to the commission Boggs-McDonald was a board member of Station Casinos, a company with a long history of opposition to Culinary's organizing efforts. Culinary was critical of Boggs-McDonald for failing to speak out on last year's extended debate over the proposal to build a 300-foot tower on West Charleston Avenue's Red Rock Station project.

The proposal was scaled back, but it is likely to come up as an election issue.

Glen Arnodo, Culinary's political director, confirmed that the union plans formal discussions with Boggs-McDonald, but it is too early to say how the union would go with endorsements.

Goldwater, tagged by some as a front-runner for the Democratic nomination for the district seat, clearly would like the union's support.

"Culinary support will be humongously important in that district," he said, noting that he has worked closely with the union during his legislative tenure.

Goldwater said if he runs, which is almost certain, he will run on his legislative record and make the district's struggle with rapid growth the major issue.

"I don't want to stop growth, but I want to slow it down," he said. "There are issues like traffic, like water, like air quality, public safety and education -- all these need to be addressed."

Goldwater said he isn't worried about a potential primary battle with Schneider, a residential developer. Schneider said he isn't sure he will file for the commission seat.

Schneider said Culinary's support or lack of it would not play into his decision.

"Culinary -- I've never requested their help in this district," he said. "I've never needed it."

Schneider said that he views the union as an ally, but said he hasn't consulted with Culinary on the decision to run.

"I'm not one of those guys who has to talk to all the inside players to make the decision for you," he said.

The longtime state senator has hinted that he may instead seek re-election. Running against likely Republican challenger Danny Tarkanian is "tempting," Schneider said. And his campaign signs -- for state senate -- are already printed and waiting in his garage.

"I was totally geared up to run for reelection, but I've had to pause," he said. "I've had a lot of constituents approach me about the District F race."

"I'll know by next week," he said.

District B

District B, now held by Commissioner Mary Kincaid-Chauncey, appears increasingly likely to be the battleground for a bruising three-way Democratic primary. Assemblywoman Vonne Chowning and Assemblyman Tom Collins are both vying against the incumbent.

They both have promised to avoid negative campaigns, but the specter of Kincaid-Chauncey's indictment on federal corruption charges hangs over the race. Prominent Democrats say privately that they fear that the end result of the primary could be a victory by a politically wounded Kincaid-Chauncey -- and a general election victory by her likely Republican opponent, North Las Vegas City Councilwoman Shari Buck.

"It is of concern, certainly," said Arnodo. He noted that Kincaid-Chauncey "has never been a political ally of ours."

Culinary counts both Chowning and Collins, however, as political friends. That makes any endorsement tough for the union.

"We really can't pick between friends like that," Arnodo said. "That is one where we will not be making any endorsement in the primary."

Kincaid-Chauncey said it would be a mistake to count her out.

"I don't think Mary Kincaid-Chauncey can be written off," she said. "I have very strong roots in the community, not just politically but personally. I think that keeps you in good stead."

With 30 years of political experience in her district, including a stint on the North Las Vegas city council, Kincaid-Chauncey said she has a long record to run on -- and she believes people will not judge her by an unproven criminal complaint.

"I have a lot of faith in people," she said. "I'm just hoping there's more of those that give you a chance to prove your innocence than otherwise."

Collins said he doesn't care who runs against him.

"We're running to win the election," he said. Collins said he is doing well in the money game, with four successful fund-raisers and contributions from "gamers, developers, builders, cowboys, you name it."

Because it is a presidential year, there will be a large Democratic turnout in November regardless of who wins the primary, he said. Collins noted that the Democrats hold a 10,000-person registration advantage in the district.

Chowning agreed, saying the primary would likely be the critical election in the district.

"It has always been a Democrat's seat," she said. But Chowning kept the possibility open for a Republican upset.

"If the caliber of the candidate on the Democrat side is not strong and convincing, it will go Republican," Chowning said. "If people feel the current incumbent is not felt to be credible, than that would be a very good reason why people (Democrats) in droves would cross over."

Chowning, who said she would not engage in a negative campaign, said her campaign themes would include a return to "credibility and integrity."

"People have to be able to have confidence in their elected representatives," she said. "People feel disenfranchised, disgusted, disillusioned, dismayed. That's what I get from people."

North Las Vegas Councilwoman Buck, who does not now appear to have a serious contender for the Republican nomination, said her challenge will be to attract crossover voters in the district to overcome the Democrat's registration advantage.

"There is a big population of nonpartisan and independent voters," she said. "The voters in the area tend to be pretty moderate and they always vote for the best candidate, not the party."

Buck said she has kept her North Las Vegas council seat through the support of many Democrats and expects that to continue.

"I'll be there in November."

Other districts

Other races that will be watched include District D, which Commissioner Yvonne Atkinson Gates has held for three terms. Many observers see her as unassailable, and her district has a 3-to-1 advantage for Democratic registration, but State Sen. Joe Neal has said he could challenge her in the primary.

Gates said she takes the potential challenge seriously.

"Obviously, until the end of filing, my speculation is that he is running," she said. "I respect Joe, and obviously he's done a good job representing his district. On the other hand, I feel like I've done a good job representing my district, that I've brought positive change to the community, and I feel I still have more to do.

Gates noted that Neal, who has fought unsuccessfully to raise taxes on gaming and is anathema to the industry's leaders, would be in a better position to bedevil the casinos as a county commissioner. The commission also serves as Clark County's regulatory authority on liquor and gaming.

Neal declined to discuss what specific issues have led him to consider a run, and he said he is not in any hurry to make the decision.

"I'm still thinking about it," he said this week. "I have until the 13th to get into the race. I haven't come to all of the conclusions that I need to."

Another race lacks drama. In what could be a two-man race down to the general election, Assistant Attorney General Jerry Tao, a Democrat, is likely to face incumbent Commission Chairman Chip Maxfield.

Maxfield, a civil engineer, has a land-use design firm that does work for some prominent development companies. Tao said that would be the focus of his campaign.

"This race is going to be about which candidate best represents the interests of the neighborhood, which is independent of the builders and developers," Tao said. "The fact that he receives so much of his income from developers is a problem, I think."

However, Maxfield's backers point out that the incumbent has supported changes to the county's land-use planning process that developers fought, and that Maxfield is one of the commission members most likely to reject questionable projects, frequently allying himself with Commissioners Bruce Woodbury and Rory Reid.

"Chip's leadership in the past four years -- he's risen to the rank of chairman of the county commission -- is not an accident," said Brian Catlett, a Maxfield campaign staffer. "He's earned their respect."

Of the five county commission races this year, Woodbury's is almost certainly the sleepiest. Woodbury, a Republican who took office in 1981 and regular draws overwhelming majorities in his district, does not have an announced opponent.

But what Woodbury, Gates and the others do in this November's general election could play a much larger role. Gates said that even if she does not have an opponent, she will work hard to bring out Democratic voters.

"We could have a huge impact on the presidential election," she said.

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