NLV: Opposition grows to council changes

A proposal to require candidates for the North Las Vegas City Council to live in a particular ward even though all city residents are eligible to vote in their races does not appear to be gaining favor in the Legislature.

Fifteen people arrived this morning before the Assembly Government Affairs Committee to testify against the bill. The committee's hearing was simulcast to the Sawyer State Office Building in Las Vegas.

Assemblyman Tom Collins, D-Las Vegas, and North Las Vegas Councilman John Rhodes are the leading supporters of the bill, which would revise the North Las Vegas city charter. The North Las Vegas City Council has already rejected the change, with only Rhodes voting in favor of it.

The 15 people prepared to testify against the bill this morning included Councilman William Robinson, Councilwomen Stephanie Smith and Paula Brown and City Council candidate Linda Hinson, a former North Las Vegas city manager. Additionally, North Las Vegas Mayor Michael Montandon, who originally supported the change, is now opposed. The mayor, along with Robinson, Brown and Smith, submitted a letter to the Legislature stating their strong opposition.

Interviews with legislators this morning indicated that the overall impression is that North Las Vegas needs to go to a ward system eventually, but not in the fashion of the current bill.

Paul Moffat, a North Las Vegas resident who showed up this morning to oppose Assembly Bill 590, said any such change to the city charter should come about only as a direct result of a vote of the people.

Assemblyman Wendell Williams, a member of the Government Affairs Committee, agreed.

"The bottom line is that it's not our choice," Williams said. "It should be a choice of the people of North Las Vegas. If we don't allow that, we might not be doing our jobs."

Currently, the four-year council seats are elected at-large. The proposed amendment to the charter would designate the seats by numbers, meaning a candidate, who would still run at-large, would be running for a particular council seat.

If passed, the amendment would make North Las Vegas municipal elections similar to those in Henderson, where candidates must live in the ward in which they run for office, despite being elected at-large by the community.

The bill states that after Oct. 1, 1999, the four council members would draw lots to determine the number of the City Council seat that they would hold.

Robinson is especially furious over the bill.

"The city (officials) should be the ones to vote on this and they have," he said earlier, referring to the City Council's rejection of the proposed changes. "I'm livid they are trying to change this (election rules)."

Rhodes said he supports the bill because he believes the current city election process is antiquated.

"It also would make the council person more accountable to the people," he said.

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