LOOKING IN ON: THE SUBURBS

By Mike Trask (contact)

Tuesday, March 6, 2007 | 7:04 a.m.

Sherman Rattner and his group, the Coalition to Save the Future of Boulder City, will not be headed to Washington to try to make all of the city's residents millionaires.

The U.S. Supreme Court has rejected Rattner's appeal of a state court ruling that removed from last November's ballot the group's highly publicized voter initiatives, including one that could have made all of Boulder City's 15,000 residents rich.

Rattner had proposed a pair of ballot questions asking voters to either sell more than 107,000 acres of Eldorado Valley and keep the cash, or preserve the land forever. A District Court judge, however, ruled residents could not vote on administrative matters.

Rattner, a Brooklyn, N.Y., native who has lived in the small town for about four years, vows to continue the fight in this year's Boulder City Council election. Travis Chandler, one of the attorneys who filed Rattner's brief before the high court, is running for a council seat.

"We will be supporting candidates committed to restoring the rights of the people clearly stated under our city charter and working to defeat the incumbents (who) took away those rights," Rattner said.

Although the proposed initiatives did not make Boulder City residents richer, they have made the city a bit poorer. It has cost Boulder City $80,000 to fight Rattner's group in court.

Many thought that homeless man Gary Kallam's run for mayor of Boulder City was a joke, just another weird piece of news that would do little for the city's image.

Kallam's opponents, however, are not laughing.

An admittedly unscientific poll by Bill Smith, a shopkeeper at Back in Thyme on Nevada Way, shows that more than half of the customers at the antique toy shop say they intend to vote for Kallam.

Among those polled, 85 of 152 (55.9 percent) said they plan to support Kallam, nearly twice as many as the 45 customers who said they would vote for Councilman Roger Tobler. Councilman Mike Pacini was the favorite of 22 customers, and the other candidate, lawyer Roger Harris, came up empty in the poll.

Smith made it clear he is not among those supporting Kallam.

"Next thing you know City Council will be meeting out at the railroad tracks or at the park and eating out of garbage cans," he said.

North Las Vegas has recognized six firefighters and three police officers with Eagle Awards for outstanding service.

The firefighters earned citations for their efforts in rescuing a baby girl from a burning building in November. Those honored are: Fire Capt. Yaphet Miller, engineer Jeff Hurley and firefighters Elmore Williams, Ben Erickson, Dennis McLane and Steven McKlein.

Police Officer Leonard Miller also was honored for aiding five victims at the same fire.

Officer Teodoro Mendez received the award for rescuing a 53-year-old man from a house fire in October. And Officer John Tonry was recognized for helping deliver a baby boy during a traffic stop in November.