Columnist Jeff German: Tough races bring Adamsen, McDonald together

Nobody's ready to call them best buddies just yet.

But this year's strange municipal election seems to have brought a truce between Councilmen Arnie Adamsen and Michael McDonald.

The two have decided to help each other get through tough political campaigns.

Adamsen is trailing mob attorney Oscar Goodman in the race for mayor, and McDonald is fighting resourceful ex-City Councilman Steve Miller in his re-election bid.

Relations between Adamsen and McDonald hit rock bottom in July 1997 when McDonald, with the help of Mayor Jan Laverty Jones, replaced Adamsen as mayor pro tem, the No. 2 position on the City Council.

McDonald also was able to grab Adamsen's coveted seat on the 12-member board that oversees the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority.

For a while the two barely spoke to each other.

But there's been a thaw in the chilled relationship in recent weeks as both men realized they needed each other's help.

The "unholy alliance" is intriguing when you consider that Adamsen has been friendly with Miller over the years.

This week the maverick Miller turned up the heat on McDonald with a campaign mailer accusing the incumbent of currying favor with the power brokers.

McDonald, who has been stockpiling ammunition on Miller's stormy tenure at City Hall, is ready to fire back.

He has won over another important ally -- ex-football star Frank Hawkins, the man he defeated in 1995. Hawkins is said to have a McDonald sign in his yard.

Adamsen, meanwhile, may need all the help he can get from McDonald and his supporters in the coming weeks to best Citizen Goodman, who has been portraying Adamsen as a good ol' boy.

One McDonald strategist eyed by Adamsen is the politically connected Sig Rogich, who despite earlier leanings toward Adamsen has managed to stay out of the mayor's race.

Rogich's longtime friendship with Adamsen and Goodman and the other top candidate, Mark Fine, is keeping the veteran consultant neutral at least through the primary.

The newfound friendship between Adamsen and McDonald, however, is being exploited by both men to its fullest.

Democratic bigwigs pushing Attorney General Frankie Sue Del Papa into the 2000 U.S. Senate race have been unable to discourage three wealthy Las Vegans from exploring possible bids.

It's a strong indication of the baggage that Del Papa, who lacks the support of organized labor, will carry into the race against the leading Republican, former Rep. John Ensign.

Polo Towers President Stephen Cloobeck, a bigtime Democratic donor, is the latest to consider running for the Senate.

Cloobeck, who has been testing the waters in Washington this week, has been telling people he's prepared to spend $6 million of his own money if he takes the plunge.

While making the rounds on Capitol Hill, Cloobeck met with the likes of House Minority Leader Richard Gephardt of Missouri and New Jersey Sen. Robert Torricelli, who heads the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee.

Cloobeck also sat down with Nevada Sens. Harry Reid and Richard Bryan, who are among the top Democrats backing Del Papa.

Meanwhile, personal injury attorney Ed Bernstein, who has made a fortune promoting his law practice on television, was in New York this week discussing his possible Senate bid with top-flight political strategists.

Bernstein, prominent in Democratic Party circles for years, is prepared to spend his television advertising budget (about $2 million) on the race if he takes the plunge.

Bernstein crossed paths in New York with Las Vegas Sun Editor Brian Greenspun, who also is willing to pour a large chunk of change into the race if he runs.

Greenspun, a Republican, was in Washington over the weekend exploring his chances. He has been weighing the option of running as a Democrat, the party of his good friend President Clinton. But he also isn't ruling out a possible Republican candidacy.

Latest word out of Washington even has him considering an independent bid.

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