Editorial: Replace James with a moderate

Thursday, March 25, 2004 | 9:15 a.m.

Clark County Commissioner Mark James, citing the need to spend more time with his family and care for his ailing father, announced this week that he will resign after less than two years on the board. The moderating presence of the Republican James and new County Commissioner Rory Reid, a Democrat, has helped stabilize the county's seven-member board, which in previous years had been riven by acrimony. The county, since the 2002 election, has taken progressive steps to bring about better planning, more consistent zoning and better management of growth.

Under state law, the governor fills vacancies on county commissions, with the proviso that the replacement has to have the same party affiliation as the person resigning. That means Gov. Kenny Guinn will have to appoint a Republican to replace James -- and Guinn can expect that quite a few people will seek the job. County Commission Chairman Chip Maxfield, a Republican, already is throwing his support to Tim Cory, who lost to James in the 2002 Republican primary by just 2 percent. But the Cory train shouldn't be leaving the station just yet, for a variety of reasons:

First, District F leans strongly Democratic. And even though James is a moderate Republican, the reason he is in office is because then-Commissioner and Democrat Erin Kenny -- on the last day of filing -- decided to run for lieutenant governor instead of running for re-election, leaving the Democrats without a prominent candidate in the general election. Second, the social conservatism of Cory, who once was the Clark County chairman of the Republican Party, is out of step in this district. Third, while Cory came in second in the 2002 Republican primary, it isn't all that impressive when you look at the raw numbers. Cory received just 3,883 votes in the Republican primary, with James receiving 4,110. In the general election, James collected 24,163 votes while his little-known Democratic opponent, Frank Boehnlein, received 15,534 votes -- about four times wh at Cory received. Cory is hardly the heir apparent to James.

In addition to finding a Republican whose political beliefs are kindred to those of James, Guinn also should find someone who shares James' views on protecting neighborhoods and better managing growth, which, if left unchecked, can harm our quality of life. Guinn, a Republican, should widen his search and make sure that the new county commissioner's views and concerns reflect those of District F's residents.