Candidate debate planned in Moncrief recall move

Dan Kulin

Friday, Dec. 10, 2004 | 9:09 a.m.

A potential challenger in the coming recall election of Las Vegas Councilwoman Janet Moncrief turned in nominating petitions Thursday needed to get on the ballot, and the candidates are apparently set to square off in a debate next week.

A forum was being planned and event organizers were working to invite the candidates.

Moncrief said she will campaign hard, going door-to-door and sending campaign literature to her Ward 1 constituents to tell them she hasn't done anything wrong. She said she plans to show them that she is the same person they elected last year and will talk about some of her accomplishments in office. Moncrief said she successfully pushed for changes to city laws that increase the distance between payday loan businesses and closed several streets near Charleston Boulevard and Buffalo Drive to ease traffic.

"I hope the people who believed in me in the initial vote come back out and support me again," Moncrief said Thursday, one day after the City Clerk announced a petition had successfully forced a recall election. The recall election is expected to be held in late January. An exact date will be announced in two or three weeks.

As expected, Thursday afternoon Vicki Quinn turned in a petition with 2,681 signatures nominating her for the ballot opposite Moncrief. If at least 2,106 of those signatures are determined to be from registered Ward 1 voters, Quinn would be on the ballot.

"Now we start campaigning heavily to get the votes for the election," Quinn said, adding that the number of people who signed her nominating petition shows Ward 1 residents "want a new council person."

Quinn, an activist for increased access to public buildings for the handicapped, has the support of the group behind the successful recall petition and for that reason Moncrief said she expects Quinn will be on the ballot.

Quinn said she wants to protect neighborhoods from unwanted development, something she said Moncrief failed to do in the case of a Social Security building being built on Buffalo north of Oakey Boulevard. That project is expected to return to the council thanks to a judge's order, although it's unclear how many of the council votes regarding the project will be revisited.

Moncrief said she shouldn't be held responsible for failing to block the project, which is prominent local developer Irwin Molasky's.

Moncrief's opponents have also brought up the councilwoman's pending criminal charges alleging campaign finance fraud. But Moncrief said she's not guilty and will win in court.

Moncrief said she thinks the recall election is primarily the doing of those people upset that she beat former Councilman Michael McDonald to win the Ward 1 council seat.

"You have Michael McDonald's planning commissioner's wife running," she said, referring to Quinn, whose husband, Stephen, was McDonald's appointment to the city Planning Commission.

But Quinn may not be the only challenger to Moncrief.

Former Clark County School Board member Lois Tarkanian has supporters collecting signatures for her candidate-nominating petition.

Also, Peter 'Chris' Christoff, a longtime government critic, has said he will try to get on the recall ballot.

A statement announcing the Dec. 17 debate said Quinn and Tarkanian have agreed to attend. Moncrief said she has not been invited to the debate, but would go if asked.

If no challengers submit enough acceptable signatures to get on the recall ballot, voters would choose between keeping Moncrief or booting her out of office. If Moncrief lost that election, the remaining council members would either appoint a replacement or hold a special election to fill Moncrief's seat.

The potential candidates will have until 20 days before the recall election day to submit their petitions to get on the ballot.