Ward 2 vote turnout low

Sito Negron

Tuesday, June 22, 2004 | 11:04 a.m.

With about half of the Ward 2 votes expected to be cast in today's special Las Vegas City Council race already submitted, candidates were making one late, last push to try to stand out in the 12-person field.

About 4,000 people are expected to vote in the election, with about half the voters going to the polls today. About 1,500 people voted early on Friday and Saturday, and another nearly 500 absentee ballots have been turned in.

"Low turnout in this case is just a fact, and it won't help one candidate over another," political consultant Terry Murphy said. As for how the campaign will turn out, she said, "the ones who really want to win will work every minute.

"In this case, where the money is is where the experience and grass-roots ability are," Murphy said. "People assessed who would be the best council person and contributed accordingly. And as it turns out those people have the best chance."

The candidates raising the most money as of June 10, the most recent reporting period, were Steve Wolfson, who took in the most, $105,779; Ric Truesdell, who raised $79,726; and Bob Genzer, who took in $67,755.52. Joanne Levy reported $77,476, much of it a loan from herself.

The wildcards could be Nevada Stupak and Gabriel Lither. Stupak reported $30,980, including $4,000 from his father, gaming figure Bob Stupak; Lither, who reported only $5,326, has the support of the powerful Culinary Union and a grass-roots network stemming from his successful effort to limit the height of the Red Rock Station Casino.

The other candidates are John Hambrick, who has touted his statements of support from prominent Republican elected officials; Steve Greco; Martin Manke; Margarita Rebollal; Firouzeh Forouzmand; and Duane W. Stephens.

The candidates are hoping to secure a $40,000-a-year, part-time job to be one of seven who votes on the Las Vegas City Council, representing the council's Ward 2, which generally includes central-west Las Vegas around the Charleston corridor and the master-planned community of Summerlin. In addition to the council duties, members are appointed to serve on various regional bodies regulating water, flood control and transportation.

Key issues in the race revolved around crime and safety, property taxes, traffic, and, especially, development as it reaches the edges of Red Rock.

Candidates, with teams of volunteers and campaign workers, will be telephoning and knocking on doors to make sure people who have been identified as supporters actually go out to vote. They'll also be offering rides to the polls for people who need the help.

"Right now, Steve Wolfson is devoting eight hours straight to making phone calls to people in Ward 2," said Gary Gray, a political consultant who is working on the Wolfson campaign. "That doesn't cost any money but it can be very effective because is direct candidate-to-voter information."

His campaign was hit by an anonymous mailer criticizing Wolfson and to anticipate more such tactics -- such as phone calls slamming Wolfson on election day -- Gray said the campaign has a mailer out addressing such issues.

Steve Wark, a media consultant who is working for Truesdell, said that the race reminded him of an experience he had in Spain.

"Several years ago I ran with the bulls in Pamplona. You have too many people in too small a space trying to get somewhere quickly. This is like the running of the bulls," Wark said.

He said the campaign "had a certain turnout model based on individuals that Ric knows in the ward, certain groups of people he has relationships with, and just new folks he met knocking door to door."

Wark said that while some campaigns will have a heavy presence at the polls, Truesdell's will not.

"We don't believe in trying to ambush people as they go into the poll," Wark said.

Terry Wilensky-Genzer said that her husband's campaign will be working the polls, and until the final bell rings they'll continue networking.

Lither said that "there are several candidates trying to run the typical campaign -- whoever spends the most money wins. I think the grassroots organization that does most work will win."

Like other candidates, he said much of today will be spent "trying to phone down those last votes, the people we targeted as supporters, and telling them how critical it is that they follow through.

"It's a cliche that every vote counts, but with 12 candidates it really does."