Army reservist throws early hat in NLV City Council ring

By Mike Trask

Friday, May 16, 2008 | 2 a.m.

Army reservist Angelo Carvalho just returned from a 15-month tour in Iraq. He took his family on vacation, rode his mountain bike around the neighborhood and enjoyed the simple things in life.

Now he’s jumping back into politics.

The 20-year military veteran and father of two plans to run for North Las Vegas City Council.

It’s still more than seven months before candidates in next year’s municipal elections can officially file to get their names on the April 2009 primary ballots. But in the unusual world of small-town politics, it’s never too early to get started.

“For any election the more time you’re in front of the voter, the more time you have to make a positive impression on them,” said Chad Wilkins, a local political consultant working on Councilwoman Shari Buck’s North Las Vegas mayoral campaign.

Nowhere is that more evident than in North Las Vegas, the nation’s fastest-growing city and a place where a council seat has not changed hands since Robert Eliason took his Ward 1 seat in 2001. He will run for a third term next year.

No one has announced plans to run against Carvalho or incumbent Eliason.

Carvalho, who is running for the seat Councilwoman Stephanie Smith will be vacating because of term limits, wants to be known as the anti-politician, even though he unsuccessfully ran for the state Assembly in 2006. He also served on the city Planning Commission before leaving for Iraq.

“I’m just a soldier,” he said. “I’m just a parent. I’m just a concerned citizen.”

With Mayor Mike Montandon unable to seek reelection because of term limits, three of the four North Las Vegas council members have said they will seek the position: Smith, William Robinson and Buck. Both Robinson and Buck would be term-limited in 2011.

However, some politicians, led by U.S. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, have been working toward eliminating the term limits voters approved 12 years ago. This week Secretary of State Ross Miller challenged the candidacies of several public officials seeking reelection despite a dispute over whether they’ve reached their term limits, a move that could blossom into a broader legal battle over the issue.

Voters’ attention, for the moment, is focused on this fall’s state and federal elections. For that reason Henderson Councilman Andy Hafen is putting off an official announcement that he will run to succeed Mayor Jim Gibson, barred by term limits from running again.

“I think it’s a little early yet because you’re conflicting with the state and federal elections and people are confused already,” he said. “But I’ve been telling people that I’m running.”

Hafen will face former Councilwoman Amanda Cyphers, who served 12 years on the council before deciding not to seek reelection last year. Since then she’s been running her real estate business and raising her family.

Cyphers sees an advantage to early campaigning, noting that it provides exposure and sends a message that qualified and competitive candidates are stepping up.

“Some people might think if it’s just going to be these knuckleheads running then maybe I’ll put my name in,” she said.

But she, too, said she will not start seriously campaigning until after November.

Henderson Councilman Jack Clark’s seat also will be open because of term limits. Two people have announced their candidacies — Kathleen Boutin, a lifelong Henderson resident who founded the Nevada Partnership for Homeless Youth, and Jack McClary, a local businessman who ran for a state Assembly seat in 2001.

Boutin already has held two major fundraisers, one hosted by former Gov. Bob Miller and the other by Clark County Commission Chairman Rory Reid and veteran political consultant Sig Rogich.

“I wish the filing date was tomorrow,” she said. “Having been in Henderson for so long has helped me build relationships with the race and my charity. They are quality relationships.”

McClary also is raising money from his business connections in the valley. The early start hasn’t phased him.

“I think it’s normal,” he said. “With this being a presidential year it’s hard to make noise. But at some point when they see one of my mailers they’ll remember who I am.”

The rising cost of municipal elections plays a role in candidates’ looking for some early face time. The winners in the 2007 North Las Vegas and Henderson races each raised nearly $200,000.

Candidates anticipate it will cost at least $250,000 to win a council race in the coming year, with the mayoral races being even more expensive. In 2005, Gibson raised more than $433,000 in the Henderson mayoral race and Montandon raised more than $497,000.

In Boulder City, Councilman Mike Pacini will be term-limited and Councilwoman Andrea Anderson is up for reelection next year.

Of more immediate concern, however, is the effort to recall council members Travis Chandler and Linda Strickland, both of whom were elected last year. The petitioners have until June 3 to gather signatures calling for a special election.