looking in on: suburbs

By Mike Trask

Tuesday, Sept. 11, 2007 | 7:26 a.m.

Ruth Bryant White calls herself a presidential candidate from Henderson.

But the phone number she has posted on her sparse Web site is not in service. You can contact her through rbwforpres2008.com, though, by answering the question, "What Do U Want Ruth To Do 4 U?"

White, 52, received some attention last year after she made an appearance on "The O'Reilly Factor" on Fox News. In that segment she defended single mothers, saying she had three children out of wedlock - the first at age 16 - and each has become a fine adult.

Her Web site tells her story of being part of an interracial couple for the past 25 years. White is black, and her husband, Steven White, is white.

The former loan officer claims she's dead serious about being sworn in on Jan. 20, 2009. She currently is gathering signatures needed to qualify for state ballots throughout the country.

"I'm a part of middle America," she said in a telephone interview. "I know the issues confronting middle America. I know what's going on. The other candidates don't know."

She cites health care and the cost of living as the major issues confronting the country. Although she may not be qualified to fix them - she has no college education - she has an idea: delegating responsibilities.

The runners-up would be her Cabinet - Rudy Giuliani as head of Homeland Security, for instance. She would turn to some talented folks in other arenas, such as Ty Pennington of the TV show "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition" as a possible Housing and Urban Development secretary.

So far she has six volunteer campaign managers, mostly family and friends, and a $5,000 campaign chest. In comparison, Sen. Hillary Clinton has about $45 million.

It doesn't intimidate White.

"We're trying to break that stereotype that you need millions of dollars to run," she said.

Boulder City Manager Vicki Mayes had the chance recently to list her goals for the next year at a special meeting. But it soon degenerated into a 45-minute discussion about the freedom of the press.

New City Councilman Travis Chandler urged Mayes to be more responsive to inquiries from the public and the media that cover city government.

For the past few months Mayes has been one of the few appointed city employees permitted to respond to the media . Information requests go through the city's one-person public information office. The city clerk and city attorney also are allowed to speak with the media because they are directly under the council's supervision, not that of the city administration.

"That is not transparency," Chandler said.

Mayes then took the time to critique individual newspapers and reporters. The Sun is not her favorite.

Although the discussion of opening up government dominated most of the meeting, council members set several goals for Mayes, such as improving employee morale. A recent survey of city employees indicated some workers, especially in public works, are dissatisfied with the city's leadership.

The city also hopes to make progress with pressing issues, such as planning Eldorado Valley's future and finding a way to fund a needed water intake valve in Lake Mead.

After a two-week delay, the Henderson Planning Commission has recommended a zone change for the 2,200-acre Landwell development proposed for a former toxic waste dump near Boulder Highway and Water Street.

The commission had been concerned about the dearth of workforce housing among the proposed 15,000 residential units, three shopping areas and more than a dozen parks. But the sides worked it out after Landwell executives met with city staff to discuss ways of using city redevelopment funds to generate future housing.

The project is not expected to open for at least eight years, although many already are hailing it as a catalyst for redevelopment of the area that will annually generate an estimated $400 million in tax revenue.