James’ job available in November

Cy Ryan and Kirsten Searer

Thursday, March 25, 2004 | 9:41 a.m.

The resignation of Clark County Commissioner Mark James leaves that seat open for election this November, the secretary of state's office said Wednesday.

Chief Deputy Secretary of State Renee Parker said the job is up for grabs, no matter when Gov. Kenny Guinn names a replacement.

Parker, Secretary of State Dean Heller and Attorney General Brian Sandoval met Wednesday to discuss whether there could be a contest for the seat if the governor names a replacement after the close of candidate filing in mid-May.

Guinn's appointee will serve until the first Monday in January, when the person elected in November will take over. The winner of the election will serve until 2006, filling the unexpired term of James.

The news of James' resignation was so unexpected that many in the political realm spent the day Wednesday trying to figure out who would want to make a quick decision to try to fill the seat.

One of the most prominent names mentioned is Las Vegas Councilwoman Lynette Boggs McDonald, who already has raised about $250,000 for her April re-election race and plans several more fund-raisers before the May filing date.

Boggs McDonald, 40, joked that she had 30 voice mail messages to return on Wednesday as people called her to see if she has interest in the job.

Still, she said she is unsure -- she is due to give birth in mid-August, just weeks before the September primary would be held for the County Commission seat.

"It wasn't anything I would have thought of 24 hours ago," Boggs McDonald said Wednesday.

Boggs McDonald's name has surfaced as a potential future secretary of state or lieutenant governor, but she said she hasn't planned that far in advance.

"I'll just have to sit back and analyze whether or not that move would make sense to me and my family," she said.

Several people already have said they'll go for the appointment, including bankruptcy attorney Tim Cory, who lost a close race to James in the 2002 primary race for the county seat, and Sonia Joya, the state director for Sen. John Ensign, R-Nev.

Cory threw in his hat less than an hour after James announced he was resigning on Tuesday.

Joya said she completed her letter to Guinn on Wednesday. She has served four years as Ensign's state director and, before that, was his district director when he was a congressman.

She also has served as a staff assistant to other members of Congress and was Guinn's Southern Nevada director for one year. She has lived in the area for 40 years and is active in local Latin affairs committees.

The 42-year-old Joya said she was motivated to put her name in because she has seen a "quality of service" in her previous bosses.

"That's one of the reasons that I want to be a public servant, because of the level of dedication I've seen," she said.

Jack Woodcock, a longtime Realtor in the area, said he is thinking about putting his name in for the seat. The Republican also has thought about running for U.S. Senate this year. He said he got a call this morning from someone in "political circles" who asked if he wanted to start out with a stab at the commission.

"My initial comment was, 'not likely,' " said Woodcock, 60. "But the more I've thought about it all day, I'd give some consideration if the opportunity presented itself."

Dale Erquiaga, the lead political and advertising strategist for R&R Partners, said he was contacted on whether he wanted to run. But Erquiaga, who spent six years as chief deputy in the secretary of state's office, said he lives just outside of the district.

Democrats are watching carefully to see how things will play out, said spokesman Jon Summers. They'll encourage party members to look at running for the seat once they know how the governor plans to appoint someone, he said.

On "Face to Face With Jon Ralston," Cox Cable channels 1 and 19, on Wednesday, Guinn said he had received 60 phone calls regarding potential replacements for James.

Asked whether he would consider Boggs-McDonald, Guinn said: "I'm going to consider everyone."

Guinn said he would consider every qualified person.

According to the law, the governor must appoint somebody from the same party of James, who was a Republican.

Parker, of the secretary of state's office, said research showed the law is almost exactly the same as when it was adopted in 1865. The law says the governor must make the appointment but it doesn't say whether the post is up for election.

Parker said it would make no sense for the governor to appoint someone to serve until January and then make another appointment to serve the remaining of the term.

Under the correct interpretation of the law, Parker said, the person appointed by Guinn will have to run for election if he wants to serve past January next year.

Parker said the secretary of state's office is going to ask the 2005 Legislature to clarify the law.

This procedure is the same as that being used after the death of Supreme Court Justice Myron Leavitt in January.

The state Judicial Selection Commission on March 18 forwarded the governor three nominees. They were Clark County District Judge Michael Douglas and attorneys Gregory Smith of Las Vegas and David Hamilton of Reno.

The Supreme Court position of Leavitt will be open on the ballot. If the person appointed by Guinn wants the job next year, he must run for election.