Columnist Susan Snyder: Making a case for a ward

Friday, June 25, 2004 | 8:42 a.m.

Pssst, Councilman Wolfson.

Over here. It's us, Steve -- your fringe people. We'd like a word with you about your plans for Las Vegas Ward 2.

We are the residents who buy groceries, patronize restaurants, drive, jog, bike ride and visit friends in Ward 2.

We do pretty much everything in Ward 2 except sleep. See, we aren't your actual constituents, because we live across the street, just outside the Ward 2 boundaries.

We share your concerns about preserving what's left of our Red Rock beauty. We were among those who toted the placards and signed the petitions to prevent a casino tower from obstructing the view.

Like the people you officially represent, we want solutions to transportation, crime and public safety challenges. We figure whatever happens on the other side of the Ward 2 boundary affects us, because many of us live right along the city's imaginary line.

A line on a map means nothing to crooks and speeding motorists.

It is not without some aggravation that we had no choice but to sit idle in our homes Tuesday while 83 percent of those who did have a choice failed to cast their votes for you or one of 11 others.

With a dozen candidates on the ballot and the lifestyle quality of thousands at stake, it is unfortunate that Ward 2's 36,000 voters left the decision of who would represent the many in the hands of very few. Those of us who had no voice now have no choice but to hope the 6,093 who did hit the polls made the right decision.

It will be up to you to show us that.

Metropolitan areas that are sliced and segmented like our urban valley make governance a challenge. City folks and county folks live next door to each other. What one decides, the other must live with.

Those who were too busy or too apathetic to cast a vote Tuesday certainly don't think about what happens beyond their own security walls.

But we hope you do.

Construction dust from home sites in our neck of the woods choke the residents on both sides of the ward line.

We are among those who clog the arterials leading to your neighborhoods during the morning and afternoon rush hours. We simply drive a little farther.

Councilman Wolfson, on the May 28 edition of "Face to Face With Jon Ralston" you said, "Quality of life, every one of my decisions is going to consider how is this going to affect the citizens of Ward 2 and all of Las Vegas, because I recognize even though I am elected to represent Ward 2 all of my decisions will affect the city of Las Vegas and everybody in the Vegas Valley ..."

Problem is, everybody can't vote, even if they live a softball's toss from your ward boundary. And hardly anybody who could vote did.

Whether you're the best guy for the ones you represent officially or unofficially remains to be seen.

Since you say you're planning to find out what residents want by hitting the street, it might not hurt if you crossed the street -- the one that separates your "official" area from the one that still will be affected by your decisions.

And remember to look left-right-left before you cross. Our traffic out here is a mess.