Friday, May 7, 2004 | 9:07 a.m.
People who filed for office in Clark County on Thursday. Incumbents are marked with an asterisk. Filing runs through May 14:
District 2 David Jerome Bennett (D) State Senate
District 4 Linda Howard (D)
District 6 Sidney Mondell (D)
District 1 Marilyn Kirkpatrick (D)
District 7 Morse Arberry Jr. (D)*
District 8 Patricia Peacock (R)
District 9 Lewis Whitten (D)
District 10 Joseph M. Hogan (D); Sam Weitzel (D).
District 23 Steven Grierson (R)
District B Tom Collins (D)
District 13 Mark Destefano
District B Marian Umhoefer
A real estate agent who would be the youngest member of the state Legislature filed Thursday for the soon-to-be-open Assembly District 10.
Samantha Weitzel, a 24-year-old former president of UNLV's Young Democrats, filed for the seat now held by Democrat David Goldwater, who was elected at age 23.
Goldwater said he plans to file next week to run for the County Commission.
Weitzel said she hopes to help redevelop her area and focus energy on schools there so that the city's older, inner-city areas won't become undesirable.
"I love this area. I just hope we can attract more people to it," she said.
"This district has been represented by a young person for a long time," Weitzel said. "It's going to take someone with a lot of energy and longevity in that area to make sure things are accomplished."
In the last legislative session Republican Josh Griffin, who will not run for re-election, was the youngest legislator, elected at age 31.
But none of the modern young legislators have made it close to breaking a record -- Richard Kirman was elected to the 1899 legislative session at age 21.
The youngest female legislator was Tonopah resident Ruth Averill, elected at age 23 in 1921.
Also filing for the Goldwater seat on Thursday was retiree and community activist Joseph Hogan, who said his career as an attorney for the federal government would make him a legislator who is "on the lookout for waste and improprieties" in government.
"Taxes are the price of a healthy operating society," the 66-year-old Democrat said. "But they need to be closely looked at, and if they're not appropriate, if they're excessive or unfairly issued, in that case people need to oppose them."
Two candidates for the state Supreme Court also filed Thursday, promising a tough election ahead and more focus on taxes.
District Judge Ron Parraguirre said he might spend $1 million to win a seat on the Nevada Supreme Court because it will be a "media intense" campaign.
But John Mason, a lawyer who represents big-name entertainers, said he doesn't think candidates could raise that much money for a Supreme Court race.
"If Mr. Parraguirre thinks it takes that much to get elected, he has a long row to hoe," Mason said.
Both Parraguirre, 44, and Mason, 57, filed Thursday for the seat to replace Justice Deborah Agosti who is retiring. Justice of the Peace Douglas Smith of Las Vegas submitted his candidacy earlier in the week.
Parraguirre has been a judge since 1991, first on the municipal court and as a district judge since 1999. He was in private law practice from 1986 to 1991.
Mason has been a lawyer for 33 years and was former chairman of the state Republican Party for three years. While he has been in the law profession for a long time, he has never tried a civil or criminal case in Nevada.
But he's been involved in business law representing such stars as Olivia Newton-John and Toby Keith, and he has operated businesses in Nevada.
Asked about the Supreme Court's decision on allowing the Legislature to pass taxes without a two-thirds majority, Parraguirre was reluctant to take a stand, citing the judicial code that bans judges from commenting on a case.
He said, "While I may not agree," with the decision, he had not read the briefs or heard the arguments.
Mason criticized the decision, saying the two-thirds majority in the Constitution had been passed twice by the voters.
Mason said he knows the state "better than judges who are sitting in a court in Las Vegas." He has traveled the state extensively and suggested some judges have "black robe disease."
He said these judges make decisions without taking into account what's best for the citizens, are rude, don't pay attention and don't listen to the arguments.
Parraguirre said he has been "most cordial" to the lawyers and their clients and has given his full attention to cases.
Mason said he put $135,000 of his own money into the campaign and raised about $265,000. He said he has $90,000 left.
Parraguirre refused to say how much he has collected. But he said he has about $40,000 to $50,000 left over from prior campaigns and has "substantial commitments."
Parraguirre said he has always wanted to serve on the Supreme Court and had planned to run for the office in 2006 when Justice Bob Rose retired. But he said the retirement of Agosti prompted many attorneys to ask him to run.00
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