LV City Council candidates not through with mailers

Sito Negron

Friday, June 18, 2004 | 9:16 a.m.

The nearly half million-dollar battle for a $40,000-a-year job representing Las Vegas City Council Ward 2 is almost over, with a flurry of mailers, radio and newspaper ads, and door-knocking that will continue today, the first day of early voting, and end Tuesday, election day.

According to campaign reports filed this week, the 12 candidates had raised a collective $380,000 as of June 10, to go with the $80,000 estimated cost of the election to the city. Despite the unusual six-week race, the money raised has been spent the traditional way -- on consultants, mailers and advertising.

The mailers have been focused on candidates' attributes, marking an unusual absence of negative campaigning. Many touted endorsements and comments of support.

Candidate Bob Genzer, who is on leave from his Las Vegas city job as planning director, Thursday released a statement of support from Lynette Boggs McDonald, who gave up the City Council seat to join the Clark County Commission.

"She had indicated her support for me even when we were going through the appointment process, so certainly I'm very pleased she has allowed me to now indicate she is supportive of my campaign," Genzer said.

He said he had two radio spots coming in the final days of the campaign, plus a newspaper ad.

Candidate Steve Wolfson, who at about $100,000 collected the most money, according to this week's filings, said he also had a few more mailers coming out, and he intended to "keep knocking on doors and making phone calls."

Also new were radio spots from candidate Joanne Levy, a Realtor who also bought a quarter-page newspaper ad Thursday. She raised about $75,000, most of it from loans she made to herself.

The other big money-maker was Ric Truesdell, chairman of the Las Vegas Planning Commission, who submitted a letter of resignation for that position. He pulled in almost $80,000.

The other candidates are: