Las Vegas Sun

March 28, 2024

Collins lands Culinary support in commission race

Clark County Commission candidate Tom Collins has lined up the support of the 50,000-member Culinary Union, a key endorsement in what is likely to be among the most competitive of five county seats up for grabs in the November general election.

His opponent, Shari Buck, hopes to score her own endorsements -- including a nod from the indicted incumbent. Buck, the Republican candidate and a North Las Vegas councilwoman, and Collins, the Democrat and assemblyman, easily won their primary contests Tuesday.

Buck said she had hoped for support from the Culinary Union, a key political player in the district that is a labor stronghold.

But Glen Arnodo, Culinary's political director, said Thursday that his union would endorse Collins.

"Tom has proven himself as an assemblyman to be a strong supporter of working families," Arnodo said. "He has been a union member himself."

Collins welcomed the endorsement.

"That is very good news," he said. "There are a lot of members of Culinary in this district. I appreciate and honor the fact that they waited until after the primary, but now's the time for them to step up, and I appreciate greatly that they're willing to do that."

Much of the attention in the primary race focused on the Democrat side, where the crowded field of five included incumbent Mary Kincaid-Chauncey. Kincaid-Chauncey's re-election prospects received a fatal blow from a federal indictment for public corruption 14 months ago.

Kincaid-Chauncey, a Democrat throughout more than two decades of public life, has repeatedly said she is leaning towards endorsing Buck.

"I am probably going to end up endorsing Shari Buck," she said Thursday. "I think we have more the same political philosophy and she has more experience in local government."

Kincaid-Chauncey also said that some politicians who go from state offices to local offices are surprised by the amount of work involved.

"I think Shari has some experience with that, whereas Tom doesn't," Kincaid-Chauncey said.

Buck said she would welcome Kincaid-Chauncey's support, despite the still-pending indictment for an alleged vote-for-cash scheme involving a Las Vegas strip-club owner.

Kincaid-Chauncey received less than 18 percent of the vote in District B to land in third place. Collins won more than 41 percent of the Democratic votes, with 4,505 total.

Buck won almost 71 percent of the total in the Republican primary, but her vote total was 5,141. The district has about a 10,000-vote advantage for Democratic registrations, and Buck said she knows she must win crossover support from Democrats to win the commission race.

Kincaid-Chauncey's support would help that, she said.

"I would appreciate all the support from the voters in commission (District) B, and she's a voter and she has a base of supporters and my task again is to gather as many votes as I can," Buck said. "I hoping to have support from her supporters and from the other Democrats."

Gary Gray, Collins' campaign manager, scoffed at the impact support from Kincaid-Chauncey would have in the race. He had said on the night of the primary win that Collins would welcome Kincaid-Chauncey's support.

"You always like to have people on your side, but birds of a feather," he said, putting Buck and Kincaid-Chauncey together. "It's always nice to have friends, but Tom Collins is running Tom Collins' campaign based on who he is and what he can do.

"That's not going to change based on who's on his side," Gray said. "The people of District B are more concerned with who can help make them feel safer in their homes, who can help bring them more parks and recreational opportunities."

Before the primary, Collins scored the endorsements of the Service Employees International Union, which includes about 12,000 health care and county government workers, and a Teamsters local.

With the primary win, Collins also has the support of the Laborers Union, which had backed Assemblywoman Vonne Chowning in the primary.

"Laborers Local 872 endorses Collins," said Tom Morley, political director of the 3,800-member local. "We think he's the right man for the job.

Buck said she has the support of the North Las Vegas Police Officers Association and Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 1. Other groups were likely waiting until after the primary to lend their support, she said.

She is hoping to win the endorsement of the Las Vegas Chamber of Commerce.

Christina Dugan, the chamber's government affairs director, said her organization will probably make an endorsement in District B next week. The chamber has already made endorsements in the four other commission seats up for grabs in this general election.

Collins said he also hopes to win the chamber's support.

"I want businessmen, bankers and Culinary members," said Collins, a former Nevada Power employee who now runs an electrical contracting business. "I think I have a good chance at the chamber's endorsement. I'm a businessman. I've been a businessman for 10 years.

Other than Kincaid-Chauncey, other commissioners are avoiding public support for either Collins or Buck. Commissioner Rory Reid, a former Nevada Democratic Party chairman who serves with Buck on the board of the Southern Nevada Water Authority, said he is not interested in burning bridges with anyone.

"Generally my policy is not to get involved in a contested race where my future colleagues are involved," Reid said. "The board (of county commissioners) is a collegial place and I want to make sure it stays that way."

Commissioner Yvonne Atkinson Gates said the commissioners have generally avoided making endorsements.

"We stay out of other people's races," she said.

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