Tuesday, May 5, 1998 | 9:45 a.m.
It's a tradition of Nevada politics: Candidates rush to be first to file for the seat they're seeking and the media covers the event.
That coverage is guaranteed to raise the name recognition of first-time filers and unknown prospects, and it almost always brings out the longtime incumbents who like to be first among the hundreds who will file this year for state, local and federal office.
And it promises to be a long list, with the governor's mansion up for grabs as well as several state constitutional offices, two new state Supreme Court seats, congressional offices and a grab-bag of local and judicial seats.
But Monday's relatively low turnout of candidates wanting to be the first to file may be a sign of a change in that tradition.
In fact, it was so slow at the Clark County Elections Department that a systemwide computer crash didn't stop 48 people from filing.
"Some people left and came back, so I don't think that would account for the numbers," Clark County Registrar Kathryn Ferguson said.
In 1996, people camped out at the elections office to be first to file. But this year, even with a truncated two-week filing period, only a handful of people came in to declare their candidacy and pay their filing fee.
"It does seem like a smaller number of people this year," Ferguson said, "especially since the time has been compressed from three months to two weeks."
Even a first-time candidate such as Tom Chickory noticed the lack of filers. A Democrat, Chickory filed for the District G County Commission seat being vacated by Lorraine Hunt, who has decided to make a run for the Republican nomination for lieutenant governor rather than seek a second term.
"Seems real quiet," Chickory, a 19-year resident of Nevada, said outside the election department Monday morning.
About 25 candidates were waiting when the doors opened at 8 a.m., including Democratic Commissioner Myrna Williams, who nearly collided with former Chamber of Commerce President Mark D. Smith, there to file against her as a Republican for the District F seat she's held since 1994.
"I always file the first day," Williams, 68, who served 10 years in the state Assembly, said. "It's a tradition."
Smith, who was president of the chamber for 11 years, is a long shot for getting his former organization's endorsement.
Commissioner Erin Kenny, a Democrat, avoided a similar close encounter by filing for a second term at 1:30 p.m., three hours after former Nevada Highway Patrol spokesman Steve Harney filed as a Republican for her District E seat. Rob Fournier, another Republican, also filed.
Harney last week said Kenny was central to the board's divisiveness, calling her the "sand in the sandpaper." Kenny said she's proud of her accomplishments -- helping to improve air quality and build parks -- but promised not to seek a third term if re-elected.
Assemblyman Tom Collins, D-North Las Vegas, filed for a third term representing District 1. Lou Toomin, who lost his Assembly seat in 1994 to Republican Jack Close, filed as a Republican against State Sen. Bob Coffin, D-Las Vegas, who also filed Monday.
Other early-morning filers included freshman Republican assemblywomen Barbara Cegavske for District 5 and Merle Berman for District 2, state Sen. Mark James, R-Las Vegas, and Assemblyman Dario Herrera, D-Las Vegas.
As expected, Sheriff Jerry Keller and District Attorney Stewart Bell each filed for re-election to a second term in their respective offices.
By 10:30 a.m., the candidate line had slowed to a trickle. Gene Segerblom, who drove up from Boulder City to file for a fourth term in Assembly District 22, was eating a chocolate-chip muffin.
"I want people to know I'm still able to run," explained the 77-year-old Democrat, whose mother and grandfather had also served in the Nevada Legislature.
Ferguson said she had never served coffee and doughnuts to candidates before, but she felt it was the thing to do since everybody had to wait so long.
Others who were undaunted by computer crashes and time-consuming manual filings included three candidates for the Clark County School Board, several judicial candidates and seekers of state legislative positions, as well as county constitutional officers and their challengers.
Current School Board President Susan Brager filed in District F, incumbent Larry Mason filed for re-election in District D, and Sheila Moulton and Yvette Zmaila filed for the District G seat, which is being vacated by eight-year board veteran Judy Witt.
The mother of eight is running as a Democrat for the state Assembly District 12 seat.
Victim's rights are a top priority for Witt, who lost her 15-year-old son Ryan three years ago when a drunken driver ran into him on his skateboard.
Candidates for judicial office have been permitted under the Nevada Supreme Court's ethical rules to collect money and campaign since the beginning of the year. But only a handful of lawyers have expressed interest in the jobs.
That comes as a surprise with three new Clark County District Court seats, a new Las Vegas justice of the peace position and two new slots on the Nevada Supreme Court.
In addition, six of the eight Family Court judgeships are up for election, as are three Las Vegas justices of the peace.
Clark County District Judges Nancy Becker and Myron Leavitt filed for the two new Supreme Court seats, and Las Vegas Municipal Judge Nancy Saitta filed for one of the new District Court seats.
The District Court Department 17 race pits veteran lawyers Sandra Pomerenz and Michael Cherry against each other.
Private attorney Joe Houston is the only candidate who filed on opening day for the District Court Department 19 slot.
In Family Court, only one incumbent faces declared opposition -- Judge Fran Fine, who launched her campaign early with A-frame signs throughout Clark County but has not yet filed. Two challengers, private attorneys Stephen Minagil and Robert Lueck, filed Monday.
None of the three incumbent Las Vegas justices of the peace -- Nancy Oesterle, James Bixler and Tony Abbatangelo -- appear headed for contested elections. Bixler was the only incumbent to file on Monday.
In the race for the newly created Justice of the Peace Department 7, only two candidates showed early interest -- Deputy District Attorney Jennifer Togliatti, who filed Monday, and private attorney Martin Hastings.
But the first day of filing saw Family Court Domestic Violence Commissioner Jack Fields throw his hat into the ring, along with private attorney and perennial political candidate Michael Schaefer.
The first to show up at the Secretary of State's office in Carson City on Monday was Democratic gubernatorial candidate Jim Champagne, 55, who operates a writing business in Reno and has budgeted $152,784 to win the primary against state Sen. Joe Neal, D-Las Vegas.
Also filing were Republican Secretary of State Dean Heller, 37, for a second term; Assembly Minority Leader Lynn Hettrick, R-Minden, for a fourth term; Sen. Lawrence Jacobsen, R-Minden, the senior member of the Nevada Legislature at 76; Assembly Speaker Joe Dini, D-Yerington; and U.S. Rep. Jim Gibbons, a first-term Republican.
Newcomers included Scott Scherer, 35, a Las Vegas lawyer running for the Republican nomination for attorney general against Democrat incumbent Frankie Sue Del Papa; Reno Republican Ken Santor for state treasurer; and Carson City Republican Wally Earhart for state controller.
Those who won't be filing include two-term Treasurer Bob Seale and four-term Controller Darrell Daines, both Republicans, who decided to step down.
Filing for the state Board of Regents were Las Vegan Steve Sisolak, 44, and Doug Seastrand, son of the late North Las Vegas Mayor Jim Seastrand. Seastrand is running for the seat being vacated by Nancy Price, who is making a bid for Congress.
-- Reporters Bill Gang, Cy Ryan and Benjamin Grove contributed to this story.
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