Thursday, March 13, 1997 | 11:59 a.m.
YOU'VE PROBABLY heard the head-hunters bashing County Commission Chairwoman Yvonne Atkinson Gates for supposedly assuming extra power.
The criticism has come from media mouthpieces aligned with those being kicked out the door in county government.
It's true that Gates is at the center of the change in power in county government with the defeat of County Commissioner Paul Christensen and the retirements of Commissioner Jay Bingham and County Manager Pat Shalmy.
But to say she's on a power grab is ludicrous, and her political enemies know it.
Gates and two of her colleagues, Commissioners Myrna Williams and Mary Kincaid, are doing what our elected officials (especially those stepping down) should have done years ago. They're showing leadership in the search for funding sources to keep up with Southern Nevada's rapid growth.
Some say the real grab for power here, though even that may be justified, is being pursued by Las Vegas Mayor Jan Laverty Jones.
Jones is pushing a bill at the Legislature that would strengthen her executive authority.
The key aspect of the bill, which will be heard by the Assembly Government Affairs Committee in Las Vegas on Friday, removes the mayor from voting on ordinances except in the case of a tie.
But it gives Jones the right to veto any ordinance passed by the City Council, something that will greatly increase her influence at City Hall.
Jones doesn't see this as a power grab.
She says she has only two years left in her second term and isn't sure whether she'll run again.
Having veto power, however, would make it more attractive for her to seek a third term.
Still, Jones says that having the extra clout will give her the tools to do the job the voters throughout the valley have elected her to do.
The mayor's office is the only position here elected at large with no real decision-making authority.
The measure, patterned after the Sparks City Charter that has been successful for more than a dozen years, actually seems to make sense.
It provides more checks and balances at City Hall, which few can argue against.
But so far, Jones doesn't exactly have overwhelming support for the bill among her colleagues.
Jones says Councilmen Matthew Callister and Michael McDonald favor the measure but that Councilmen Gary Reese and Arnie Adamsen haven't committed.
Adamsen, eyeing a run for mayor someday, says he wants to hear more about the pros and cons before giving his approval. He thinks the bill actually might diminish the authority of the office.
Jones, it seems, will have a tough sell at the Legislature if she can't get all of her fellow council members on board.
Already, there are signs that there's not much interest in the Senate.
That usually happens when an elected official is thought to be seeking a power grab.
* On the campaign trail, Adamsen is off to a great start in his re-election bid with more than $150,000 in campaign contributions.
He also seems to be connecting well with his constituents, even launching his own web page on the Internet.
Callister, meanwhile, has picked up more crucial support in his re-election campaign.
The police and firefighters unions have endorsed him.
Over the years, the two politically active labor groups have had close working relationships with the sometimes sneaky consultant Kent Oram, who ran Christensen's campaign last year.
Both unions have proven they can provide valuable grass-roots support to a candidate.
Before his defeat in November, Christensen vowed to work against Callister, his younger cousin, whom he believed had undermined his race. Most assumed Oram would enlist the help of the police and firefighters in the battle.
But by endorsing Callister, both have sent a strong message to Christensen and Oram that they won't be part of it.
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