Activist qualifies for ballot in Moncrief recall drive

Dan Kulin

Wednesday, Dec. 15, 2004 | 11:12 a.m.

Las Vegas City Councilwoman Janet Moncrief will have at least one opponent in her recall election.

The Clark County Election Department on Tuesday determined the petition to put Vicki Quinn on the ballot had enough acceptable signatures, Las Vegas City Clerk Roni Ronemus said.

"I'm thrilled and excited," Quinn said. "Now enjoy the holidays, and then work hard after the first of the year to ensure I'll succeed in the election."

Ronemus said she expects to announce the date of the recall election sometime during the last week of December. The election would have to be scheduled for no later than 30 days after that announcement.

Quinn, 45, known as an activist for increased access to public buildings for the handicapped, will be asked to formally accept her candidacy after the recall election date is announced.

Of the 500 random signatures on the petition to put Quinn on the ballot, 494, or 98.8 percent, were determined to be from registered Ward 1 voters. Last week Quinn turned in a petition with 2,690 signatures on it. By assuming that the ratio of acceptable signatures from the 500 sampled holds true for all of the signatures, which is the method used by the Election Department, Quinn's petition easily passed the minimum threshold of 2,106 acceptable signatures needed to get on the ballot.

Moncrief, elected to the Ward 1 council seat last year, said she expected Quinn would make it onto the ballot. The councilwoman also said she thinks former Clark County School Board member Lois Tarkanian will collect enough signatures to get on the ballot.

"The more the merrier," Moncrief said.

Tarkanian said Tuesday that she expects to be on the recall ballot because she has hired a private firm to help gather signatures for the petition to put her on the ballot. She did not know when she will turn in her nominating petition.

Peter "Chris" Christoff, a longtime government critic, has also said he will try to get on the ballot.

Quinn, who has the support of the group behind the successful recall petition, has said she wants to protect neighborhoods from unwanted development and adult-oriented businesses.

Quinn and other critics of Moncrief have said the councilwoman failed to block 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.

A court hearing on Moncrief's case that had been scheduled for today has been pushed to Dec. 30.

Moncrief and Tarkanian said they plan to attend a candidates' forum scheduled for 3 p.m. Friday at the West Charleston Library.