‘US MARINE’ will settle for ‘Devil Dog’ on Ward 6 ballot

Dan Kulin

Friday, Feb. 4, 2005 | 10:02 a.m.

There has been "Big Al," "Doc," and "Mazunga," but there will be no "US MARINE" on the Las Vegas ballot.

Steve Sanson, a former Marine and candidate in the crowded race for the Ward 6 seat on the City Council, wanted his name to appear on the spring ballot as Steve "US MARINE" Sanson. However, city officials said state law prohibits occupations or professional titles from appearing on a ballot as someone's nickname.

So now voters will see the name Steve "Devil Dog" Sanson on the ballot instead. Devil Dog is a common nickname for Marines.

Sanson, 37, who works collecting debts for a telephone directory, said he wanted US MARINE on the ballot because Marine is one of his nicknames.

"People call me Marine. They don't put the U.S. in front of it but I wanted it because there is the British Royal Marines. But that is who I am," Sanson said. "Sometimes my fiance calls me Marine."

Sanson said he was a Marine from 1985 to 1991 and then was in the army reserves until 1998. Sanson said that as soon as he filed to run for the City Council, the City Clerk's office told him there might be a problem with his choice of nickname.

City Clerk Roni Ronemus said she told Sanson there was a question about his choice of nickname because Marine is an occupation, and asked City Attorney Brad Jerbic to weigh in on the matter. Jerbic did not return telephone messages left at his office Thursday.

So Sanson submitted a list of Marine and military related nicknames he would want instead: Gulf War Vet, Devil Dog, Semper Fi, USMC, Desert Storm, and Leather Nek -- with neck intentionally spelled wrong because of the limit on the length of the name.

Devil Dog and Leather Nek were OK'd by the city, and Sanson settled on Devil Dog.

"It's a nickname for Marines and some Army Special Forces use it too," he said. "My Marine friends call me Devil Dog."

Sanson said he is not trying to win favor with the voters by using the nickname to point out his military experience

"That's just me; it's who I am. That is how I'm described," he said about all of the nicknames he proposed.

Ronemus said some candidates opt to have nicknames on the ballot, but Sanson was the first to present a nickname that she questioned.

Some of the nicknames of past candidates include 2003 mayoral candidates Allan "Big Al" Smith and C. "Mazunga" Poliak, and Charles E. "Doc" Broadus, who ran for City Council in 1999 and 2003. Ronemus said Broadus wasn't a physician, but was known as Doc to everybody he knew.

Another Ward 6 candidate also will use a nickname on the ballot, but there was no issue with Anthony M. "Tony" Salas' nickname.

As of Thursday the other Ward 6 candidates were Mary Gillins, Gary L. Ratliff, Robert D. Glover, Steve Ross, city Planning Commissioner Byron Goynes, Debbie Kitterman Burgos, and Jeff Crisman.

Ward 6 incumbent Councilman Michael Mack has said he will not run for re-election.

The candidate-filing deadline is today. The city's primary election will be on April 5, with early voting from March 19 to April 1. The general election will be June 7, with early voting from May 21 to June 3.