Upset-minded candidates face uphill climb

By Mike Trask (contact)

Tuesday, Feb. 3, 2009 | 2 a.m.

Heading into municipal elections, we’re reminded of civic-minded people in the community who are willing to serve in local government for what appear to be all the right, altruistic reasons.

Some of these people are career politicians.

Others are anything but.

With the two largest suburban cities in the state holding mayoral races this year, the separation between the two groups becomes obvious.

On one hand, the top contenders — those who have been earning political favors for years — have collected hundreds of thousands of dollars for their campaign check accounts.

On the other hand is a guy like Ned Thomas, a father of four running for North Las Vegas mayor. He hopes to raise $30,000.

“I’m not going to hire consultants with anonymous addresses to write my material,” he said. “I’m not going to pay people to canvass. I may not have $150,000 in my bank account, but I have two feet and a lot of friends.”

Is that enough?

Consultants in the valley — many getting paid 10 grand a month to run municipal campaigns — say that without serious funding, it may be impossible to compete.

Thomas is an underdog, despite his qualifications. He has served on the city Planning Commission and works in the Henderson planning department.

He says he’s running to help his community, after volunteering to create a city master plan and having kept a close eye on city business.

And he wants to give voters a new face to pick, given that three City Council members are also running.

But he has no cash.

And his three opponents have gobs.

Shari Buck raised $150,000 in 2008. William Robinson raised more than $127,000 last year and Stephanie Smith raised $71,000.

That’s the money raised before the candidates could officially file for the ballot.

And then there’s Thomas.

He had friends design his Web site and some fliers.

“It’s tough in the sense that these races become name-recognition races,” said David Damore, a UNLV political science professor. “When it comes down to the nonpartisan races the voters don’t even know the people sometimes.”

Without name recognition — of which Thomas has little — his campaign could be an exercise in futility. Especially with his opponents putting signs on every city corner and their money for mailers.

In Henderson, Amanda Cyphers, a former councilwoman, will play the role of underfunded challenger.

She faces a pair of council members in Andy Hafen and Steve Kirk, each with a six-figure bankroll.

Cyphers has $36,399 — $25,000 of it from her own pocket.

The historically dismal turnout — roughly 15 percent in the suburbs — could help the underdogs. The logic goes that if only a few thousand voters show up to the polls — Mike Montandon won the last mayoral race with 4,500 votes — it may be possible for a candidate such as Thomas to build a sufficient base from that pool of active voters.

But it’s an uphill battle.

Richard Cherchio learned that the hard way in 2007. He spent $40,000 of his own money to challenge Buck for her council seat, earning himself less than a quarter of the vote.

But Cherchio figures an upset could be pulled off by the right candidate, someone who generates enough free attention to be considered viable versus some kook.

“It doesn’t cost anything to go out there door-to-door,” the former candidate said. “If you can get just a little exposure in the media, I really believe it could be done.”

So does Thomas really think he can pull this off?

“I don’t know,” he acknowledges. “I’m an optimist. And my kids think I can.”