LOOKING IN ON: CITY HALL

Sunday, May 6, 2007 | 7:06 a.m.

When last we heard from Las Vegas Mayor Oscar Goodman on the subject of graffiti, he proposed that graffiti taggers have their thumbs lopped off.

Lest he be thought too soft on crime, Hizzoner last week suggested getting tougher on taggers.

At Wednesday's City Council meeting, a review of bills before the Legislature triggered a lengthy discussion on the graffiti problem.

Chris Knight, the city's director of administrative services, mentioned that several proposed graffiti measures had been combined into a compromise bill in Carson City.

That prompted Councilman Gary Reese to ask why more emphasis was not placed on prevention.

"To me, the idea that made the most sense of anything is when the mayor suggested cutting the thumbs off," Reese said. "I thought the mayor did a great job on that."

That was the mayor's cue.

"Are you allowed to shoot somebody like that?" Goodman asked City Attorney Brad Jerbic, referring to taggers,

When Jerbic answered no, Goodman smilingly replied: "I never get a yes from you."

As is often the case with Goodman, it was difficult to tell where the joking left off and true intent - or at least wishful thinking - began.

David Esqueda, a student at Valley High School, had a more conventional idea. He suggested Metro work with the Clark County School District and School Police to identify the culprits.

"They recognize the kids," Es queda said. "They know who could be up to it."

That led Goodman to ask Es queda what he thought about possibly shooting offenders.

"I think that might be a bit extreme," the 18-year-old senior replied.

A town hall meeting to discuss the status of attracting a grocery store to West Las Vegas and other Ward 5 issues will be at 8 p.m. Tuesday at the Doolittle Community Center at 1950 N. J St .

Interim Councilwoman Brenda Williams delayed a vote on a negotiating agreement with local developer Laurich Properties last month because she said community input was necessary and she thought the ward's soon-to-be-elected council member should make the call.

Ricki Barlow, a former staffer for former Councilman Lawrence Weekly, will face lawyer Stacie Truesdell in the June 5 general election for that seat.

Weekly's appointment to the Clark County Commission prompted a 10-candidate primary in April in which Barlow and Truesdell finished first and second, respectively.

The neighborhood has been without a grocery store since the Vons on Owens Avenue closed in August 2004.

Goodman, Business Development Director Scott Adams and John Edmond of Edmond Town Center will attend the meeting.

The city has offered a $5 million capital incentive package to attract a grocer to either the Edmond Town Center or Enterprise Park at Martin Luther King and Lake Mead boulevards.

Las Vegans have until May 15 to register to vote in next month's general election.

The clerk's office on the first floor of City Hall, 400 Stewart Ave ., will be open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday and from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Thursday. Hours will be extended from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. for registration from Friday through May 15.

Early voting begins May 19, at the city clerk's office and locations throughout the city, and runs through June 1. A complete list of early voting locations is available on the city's Web site at www.lasvegasnevada.gov/Elections/Election_2007.asp#

In addition to the Ward 5 race, there is a citywide race for municipal judge in Department 6. Deputy public defender Lynn Avants and lawyer Martin Hastings topped the seven-candidate field in the April primary and face each other for the vacant seat.