Friday, May 20, 2005 | 10:04 a.m.
North Las Vegas Mayor Mike Montandon filed a police report Thursday accusing the campaign of mayoral candidate Andres Ramirez of stealing his re-election signs.
Ramirez denied the accusation as the intensity in the mayoral race heated up this week with early voting under way.
The Nevada Democratic Party, which is campaigning on behalf of Ramirez, jumped into the fray Thursday by slamming the Republican Montandon for his refusal to debate his opponent ahead of the June 7 election.
North Las Vegas Police spokeswoman Tim Bedwell said the investigation is continuing over Montandon campaign signs missing in front of homes.
Without providing additional details, he said police recovered more than 40 signs. He said that no decision has been made on whether charges will be filed against the person who called police and said he had them.
Montandon said his campaign workers have talked with residents who said someone, without their permission, took his signs out of their yards and replaced them with signs for Ramirez.
"I think he's in the wrong business," Montandon said of Ramirez. "He has no right to be leading a city. I believe he is Machiavellian. He believes the ends justify the means."
Ramirez blasted Montandon and accused him and his campaign of lying, negative campaigning and wasting taxpayer resources by filing a police report. He said his campaign took down Montandon's campaign signs in yards at the request of homeowners, some who said they never gave Montandon's campaign permission for their installation. The residents asked that a Ramirez sign be put up in their place and in some cases they wanted both signs left up, he said.
"This is a way for them to divert from the issues," Ramirez said. "They are asking an understaffed police department to go on a fishing expedition. This is a misuse of taxpayer dollars. The mayor continues to deceive and mislead people about the activities of this campaign, and this is another example."
Ramirez also said his campaign called Montandon to let him know they had the signs.
Steve Wark, Montandon's campaign manager, accused Ramirez of lying. He said they gave names to police about residents who told them their Montandon sign was removed and a Ramirez sign installed without their permission.
"We would not have filed a complaint unless we knew people who had signs stolen," Wark said. "Andres is lying.
Wark said Ramirez set an example by not signing -- unlike other candidates during the filing for office -- a voluntary statement to campaign fairly. He said that if police determine the signs were stolen, charges should be filed for theft and trespassing.
"If the law was broken, charges should be filed," Wark said. "That's how you keep law and order in the community."
Ramirez said he didn't sign the voluntary statement at the time he filed because he wasn't sure of its intent and it had no enforcement mechanism.
"It is a useless document," Ramirez said. "I am not campaigning unfairly. It's the mayor's campaign."
Ramirez said the mayor's campaign doesn't own the signs once they are on homeowner's property.
"If they can't handle that residents no longer want their signs, I will send them a box of tissues," Ramirez said.
Also on Thursday, the Democratic Party posted a statement on its Web site Thursday accusing Montandon of being afraid to debate Ramirez. Ramirez has criticized Montandon for refusing to debate him. The two appeared at one forum.
Montandon said he has no interest in debating Ramirez and giving him media attention. He described him as someone who doesn't play fair.
"He is trying to goad me into giving him free media, and it is not going to happen," Montandon said.
Wark said Montandon would be willing to debate if Ramirez would sign a pledge that he would campaign fairly. He also said no community organization has come forward to offer to host an event, which he said should be about making the community a better place rather than politics.
"Why in the world would he (the mayor) want to be in the same room with somebody who refused to sign that campaign promise," Wark said. "If he would promise to be truthful, he would debate him all day. There are no moral barriers for Andres not to lie."
Ramirez said groups have wanted to host forums but have not done so because of Montandon's unwillingness to debate.
"It is just another excuse by him not to have to talk about his record," Ramirez said. "All elected officials should be held accountable to the residents they represent."
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