Las Vegas Sun

March 28, 2024

Politics:

Front-runners and underdogs: An early look at 2015 Las Vegas city elections

Fire Station 107 groundbreaking

Steve Marcus

Las Vegas Mayor Carolyn Goodman fans herself with a folder to keep cool during a groundbreaking ceremony for the new City of Las Vegas Fire and Rescue Station, number 107, in Sun City Summerlin Monday July 25, 2011. Mayor Pro Tem Stavros Anthony is at left. Goodman is among those entered in this year’s Celebrity/Media NFL Picks competition.

With the field of candidates nearly set, this June's municipal elections are shaping up to offer a heavyweight bout for Las Vegas mayor but few other competitive races.

Candidate filing closes at 5 p.m. Friday and so far incumbent city council members in Las Vegas, Henderson and North Las Vegas have drawn few or no challengers.

The headlining race will be in Las Vegas, where Mayor Carolyn Goodman is fending off a challenge from City Councilman Stavros Anthony. Anthony hopes to defeat Goodman by tapping into opposition to a downtown soccer stadium, which Goodman strongly supports.

Compared to federal or state races where campaigns can stretch over a year, the run for municipal office is a sprint, with just two months before the April primary.

The tight window tends to favor incumbents with strong name recognition and fundraising support.

"It's so hard to knock off incumbents. They're able to freeze out donations to their challengers," said UNLV political science professor David Damore. "If everybody knows they're going to win, nobody gives to their opponents, which creates a sort of self-fulfilling prophecy."

Turnout for municipal elections hovers around 10 percent of registered voters, which means a candidate only needs to win a few thousand votes to claim the seat. But again, incumbents tend to have the advantage of better funding and organization needed to reach the small pool of likely voters.

Any candidate who receives more than 50 percent of the vote in the April 7 primary wins outright. In all other cases, the top two vote-getters in the primary move on to the general election on June 2. All positions are nonpartisan.

Here's a look at how the races in Las Vegas are shaping up.

Las Vegas mayor

Represents: Entire city

The incumbent: Carolyn Goodman is seeking re-election to a second term as mayor, following three terms by her husband, Oscar Goodman. Carolyn Goodman, who founded the Meadows School, won her first run for office with 60 percent of the vote. She's made championing downtown and pushing for redevelopment in the area a priority during her term, including vocal support for putting public dollars toward the $200 million downtown soccer stadium.

The challengers: City Councilman Stavros Anthony said he hadn't planned to run for mayor, but changed his mind after the city council approved the soccer stadium in December and refused to put the issue on the ballot for the public's input. Anthony has since signed onto a petition initiative to put the issue of stadium funding on the ballot and is planning to use Goodman's support for the stadium against her in the campaign. Anthony is a former Metro Police captain who spent seven years serving on the higher education Board of Regents. Also running are Abdul Shabazz, who received 4 percent of the vote in the Democratic gubernatorial primary last year, and Bruce Feher.

The money: Goodman raced out to an early fundraising lead, bringing in $137,000 in 2013 with support from major players in the gaming, taxi and utility industries, according to finance reports released last month. Anthony brought in only $1,500 over that same time period, but could have as much as $160,000 left over from his run for city council in 2013 to use.

The analysis: Anthony and Goodman agree on most things while working together on the council, but not the stadium. Anthony has consistently opposed public funding for the stadium since the plan surfaced last year, a position he's already contrasting with Goodman's vocal support for the project. Anthony's chances will be boosted if the petition initiative opposing the stadium, which is currently tied up in court, makes the ballot alongside his name. Even then, he'll face an uphill climb against Goodman due to her name recognition and deep community ties as a member of one of the city's longest-running political dynasties.

City Council

Ward 1

Represents: Area bounded by Sahara Avenue on the south and Washington Avenue to the north, between Interstate15 and Buffalo Drive. Includes the Las Vegas Medical District and many older neighborhoods.

The incumbent: Lois Tarkanian is seeking re-election to a third term after already serving 10 years on the council. Tarkanian spent her career in education and was a Clark County School District school board trustee for 12 years. She won her last election with 74 percent of the vote.

The challenger: Tarkanian's only challenger so far is Raymond Fletcher, who hasn't held political office.

The money: Tarkanian raised $1,000 in 2013 for her campaign. Fletcher has not yet filed a campaign finance report.

Ward 3

Represents: Area north of Sahara Avenue and south of Owens Avenue, between I-15 and Nellis Boulevard. Includes much of downtown and the city's urban core.

The incumbent: Bob Coffin won his first term to the city council in 2011 after several decades serving in the state Assembly and Senate. During his time on the council, he's been active in crafting the city's medical marijuana licensing rules and pushed for an inventory of city assets.

The challengers: The race will feature three challengers — Hart Fleischauer, Alicia Herrera and Eric Krattiger. None of them has much of a political track record.

The money: Coffin raised $134,000 in 2013, with top donations including $10,000 from lobbyist Jay Brown, $10,000 from tavern chain Dotty's and $10,000 from Granite Gaming Group. His three opponents have not filed campaign finance reports.

Ward 5

Represents: Area bounded by I-15 on the east and U.S. 95 on the south and west, generally southwest of Rancho Drive. Includes Historic West Las Vegas neighborhood and parts of downtown.

The incumbent: Ricki Barlow is seeking a third term on the council after winning his 2011 election with 73 percent of the vote. Barlow's district includes several key areas for the city, including Symphony Park, the planned site of the soccer stadium, and the Historic West Las Vegas neighborhood, which was recently reconnected to downtown with the opening of F Street.

The challenger: The only challenger so far is Randy Voyard, who ran against Barlow in the 2011 council election and lost with 9 percent of the vote.

The money: Barlow raised $35,250 in 2013, with top donations including $10,000 from Granite Gaming Group, $10,000 from lobbyist Jay Brown and $5,000 from Republic Services. Voyard has not filed a campaign finance report.

The analysis: Coffin and Barlow both voted to support public funding for the downtown soccer stadium, giving opponents some potential ammunition to use against them in the race. But look for Coffin and Barlow to both spin the vote in their favor. Coffin managed to snag millions of dollars for park improvements in his aging ward, while Barlow's ward stands to benefit from further economic development the stadium could spur.

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