Las Vegas Sun

March 28, 2024

LOOKING IN ON: CITY HALL

The late mobster Al Capone is credited with the phrase "vote early and vote often," a reference to the ballot stuffing that allegedly took place in the days of the Chicago political machine.

Although you can't vote often, voting early in the June 5 Las Vegas general election is an option.

The early voting began Saturday and extends through June 1.

Registered voters can cast their ballots at the Las Vegas city clerk's office on the first floor of City Hall at 400 Stewart Ave., or at locations throughout the city.

In the lone citywide race, deputy public defender Lynn Avants faces former prosecutor Martin Hastings for the vacant District 6 Municipal Court judge's seat.

Ward 5 voters must also decide whether Ricki Barlow or Stacie Truesdell will fill the City Council seat vacated when former Councilman Lawrence Weekly was appointed to the Clark County Commission.

A complete list of early voting dates and locations is available at www.lasvegasnevada.gov/Elections/Election_2007.asp# .

Another famous political phrase, "four more years," is apparently music to the ears of Las Vegas Mayor Oscar Goodman.

Goodman is making noise about sticking around, although his tenure must come to an end in 2011 because of term limit .

"I'm not a big fan of term limits," Goodman said at his weekly news conference.

The issue came up in a discussion about making the positions of mayor and City Council member full time.

At last week's council meeting it was revealed that legislation in the state Assembly that would create a commission to look at such issues is in jeopardy.

Although Goodman supports a commensurate salary increase if the positions became full time, money is clearly not his motive to continue serving.

He gave up a lucrative law practice when he was elected and has filled the role of mayor full time since, despite the part-time designation . He also supports eliminating outside positions for elected officials if the jobs became full time.

Goodman did not reveal how he plans to get around the term limits, but he seems to have something in the works.

If he is unsuccessful, term limits will accomplish what no opponent has come close to doing.

Goodman won reelection in March with 84 percent of the vote, a slight drop from the 86 percent he garnered four years ago, but still a total that has made challenging him tantamount to political suicide.

Developers interested in building an arena in Las Vegas got an idea last week of what the city is looking for in a proposal.

The May 14 meeting included a presentation detailing preferred sites, answers to questions previously submitted by potential developers and a question-and-answer session to clear up any issues that have arisen.

The city also revealed a timetable for the selection process.

Fielding the questions from potential developers were Bill Rhoda of Convention Sports and Leisure, who is spearheading the selection process, and Scott Adams of the city's business development office .

Issues raised included the city's flexibility on size restrictions for the arena, which Rhoda said ideally would have 18,000 to 20,000 seats. Some developers have suggested a larger arena, but city officials expressed concerns that an arena that size would hamper the ability to attract an NBA team.

Although the arena project has its skeptics, some heavy hitters in the industry are taking the project very seriously.

Mark Williams with HKS Inc., the sports entertainment group whose projects include the American Airlines Center in Dallas, says the project is very attractive.

"With the changes they have planned to accommodate traffic, this project can definitely work," Williams said.

American Airlines Center is home to the Dallas Mavericks of the NBA and the Dallas Stars of the NHL.

Developers have until June 28 to submit proposals and the city hopes to select a developer by the end of July.

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