Moncrief ponders return to politics

Dan Kulin

Friday, Feb. 10, 2006 | 12:34 p.m.

A year after being forced from office in a recall election, former Las Vegas Councilwoman Janet Moncrief is taking a look at jumping back into the political world.

Moncrief, a nurse and Republican, was the subject of a recent telephone survey asking some probable voters whether they would support her for lieutenant governor.

Although Moncrief said she has no idea who was behind the telephone poll, she said "there are people approaching me, asking me to do it.

"I have to give it some thought. I am giving it some thought," said Moncrief, who refused to say who has asked her to re-enter politics.

Moncrief did say, however, that she hasn't spoken for over a year with former Stratosphere owner Bob Stupak or political consultant Tony Dane, both of whom supported her successful 2003 run for council.

Moncrief was booted from office in January 2005 by a recall election that replaced the political neophyte with current Councilwoman Lois Tarkanian.

The recall was prompted, at least in part, by allegations that Moncrief filed false campaign finance reports in 2003.

After the recall election, Moncrief agreed to pay a $5,000 fine and admit to civil violations of campaign finance law.

Baseball and city officials are not supporting recent media reports that the Florida Marlins are being steered away from Las Vegas as the franchise looks for a possible new home.

The Sunday Miami Herald reported that while Marlins officials have visited Portland, Ore., and San Antonio, Major League Baseball executives have not allowed the team to visit Las Vegas.

Marlins executives would not comment on the report. Marlins spokesman PJ Loyello said team officials are "not commenting on any city" for now.

But Major League Baseball spokesman Rich Levin said the league has given the Marlins the OK "to speak with whomever they want," adding that no one has told the team to exclude Las Vegas from consideration.

Likewise, Las Vegas Mayor Oscar Goodman said the media report did not match his take on the situation.

"It didn't make much sense to me," Goodman said about the Miami Herald report.

Goodman refused to say whether he has spoken with Marlins representatives during the last few weeks.

For yet another week, Goodman refused to say whether he will run for the U.S. Senate this year.

Last week the mayor indicated he would make an announcement soon, saying at one point that "a lot of things will be settled" over Super Bowl weekend.

Goodman said he spoke with his family about his immediate political future on Super Bowl Sunday, adding that he has since gone out with his wife twice to further discuss the matter.

However, the mayor, a Democrat, still will not say whether he plans to run for Republican John Ensign's seat.

Goodman finally won a Super Bowl bet against a Las Vegas morning radio team, but he ended up losing money on the game when he bet cash on the other side of the game.

"It was a mixed bag," Goodman said. "I lost a fortune."

He avoided the embarrassment of being dressed like Britney Spears for the amusement of morning commuters if he had lost the bet.

In his fourth year of Super Bowl bets with KMXB 94.1 FM morning radio team Mark and Mercedes, the mayor took the Pittsburgh Steelers, with the embarrassing drag performance on the line.

Dan Kulin can be reached at 259-8826 or at dan@lasvegassun.com.