Goldwater announces plan to challenge Boggs McDonald

Tuesday, May 11, 2004 | 10:14 a.m.

Assemblyman David Goldwater said this morning that he would run for the Clark County Commission against newly appointed Commissioner Lynette Boggs McDonald.

Goldwater, D-Las Vegas, cited Clark County's burgeoning growth as the main catalyst behind his decision to run.

"I'm running for this seat because I want to improve the quality of life for the people of Southern Nevada," Goldwater said. "We are on the edge of having our quality of life go down here, and the battle for that is going to be on the Clark County Commission."

Goldwater said he will file for the position Wednesday morning. He could face state Sen. Mike Schneider in the Democratic primary. Schneider is still considering a run for commission.

Boggs McDonald, a Republican, was a Las Vegas councilwoman until she was appointed to the County Commission earlier this year by Gov. Kenny Guinn after Commissioner Mark James resigned.

Boggs McDonald, who is pregnant and due in August, has promised to run an aggressive campaign.

Democrats have a 9,000-vote plurality in the district, located in the southwest corner of the valley, which may help Goldwater.

Goldwater, however, said his take on growth was all the edge he needed.

"This is the first election where growth is going to be a major issue, and I will be the first major candidate to say I want to slow down growth. So it won't matter who I run against," Goldwater said.

"My position on growth is that I don't want to stop it, I just want to slow it down."

He said he will focus on three major issues: making sure there is water when people turn on their taps, "getting the junk out of the air," and getting more patrol cars into neighborhoods.

Goldwater said he has raised about $100,000 for what has been historically a million-dollar race.

A native of Las Vegas, Goldwater graduated from Bishop Gorman High School and earned his bachelor's degree in finance from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. He has served in the Assembly since 1995.