Firefighters hot over confusion about commission endorsement

The Clark County Firefighters Union called a news conference today to put out fires that sparked confusion about who it endorses in the County Commission race for the District F seat.

Now the question is: Who started them?

Union officials claim Republican Steve Harney's campaign team is responsible for phone calls that tell voters the union endorses him, not his opponent, the firefighters' longtime ally Democrat Erin Kenny.

"We want his phone banks to immediately cease and desist from making such claims," a union statement says. "They are false. Firefighters support Erin Kenny."

Harney's campaign manager, Mark Fierro, swears his camp is not responsible for the latest hot-spot and claims that Kenny herself is lighting that fire.

"Erin Kenny is making those phone calls," Fierro said Monday. "This is the most low-end, childish little prank on Erin's part. This is well within the scope of how Erin operates."

When Kenny was told of Fierro's allegations, she laughed. Kenny said she contacted the firefighters after dozens of voters called her office to ask why the union reneged on its endorsement.

Kenny said she wasn't surprised to hear of the phone calls. She said Sheriff Jerry Keller and the Police Protective Association also had to ask Harney to stop telling voters they they endorse him.

"He consistently lies and now he has people on the phone lying," Kenny said. "He'll do anything to try and get elected. It's unfortunate he uses reputable organizations in vain."

The debate regarding who is placing the phone calls only fans the flames of what has already been by far the ugliest race in Southern Nevada.

Harney has called Kenny a liar and has accused her of misusing her cell phone and catering to special-interest groups. Joining Harney in his attack recently was the Sheldon Adelson-funded "Committee for Fairness," which claims Kenny has put the county in debt.

Kenny's campaign had remained relatively issue-oriented until last week when she struck back at Harney. She accuses Harney of calling nearly every contributor to her campaign, asking for money.

She has called the Nevada trooper a hand-picked puppet for Adelson, chairman of the Las Vegas Sands Inc.

Fierro said Monday that Harney's volunteers have a set script from which they read when they call voters in District F, which encompasses the southwest portion of Clark County.

He added that he called Adelson's group and was told the firefighters union is never mentioned in its commercials or phone scripts.

"She is the dirtiest campaigner in the history of politics," Fierro said. "We've known she had that endorsement sewn up long ago. When you guarantee a pay raise, you'll get endorsement. It's as simple as that."

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