Political upstarts round out NLV council field

An eclectic field of lesser known candidates including small business owners, a cop, a shoe sales manager, a chess master and two planning commissioners -- most of them political upstarts -- are taking a shot at the North Las Vegas City Council.

The top four vote-getters in the May 4 primary go to the June 8 general election, where the top two vote recipients will win the two four-year, at-large seats. A North Las Vegas councilman earns $20,900 a year and receives an annual car allowance of $3,600.

Currently, William Robinson and Paula Brown are sitting in those seats. Also in the race is former North Las Vegas City Manager Linda Hinson.

That leaves the rest of the field with some hope of slipping in if they can persuade enough of the city's almost 40,000 registered voters to show up at the polls -- the 1997 turnout was just slightly better than one in four -- and punch a hole next to their names.

Two of the candidates with impressive credentials but no experience in running for office are Ron Long, 39, a partner in a small landscape and concrete business, and David Cienega, 35, a Metro Police officer.

Long, a Boy Scout leader, also is a member of the North Las Vegas Recreation Board and the Mayor's Crime Prevention Task Force. He is being backed by Mayor Michael Montandon.

"The future of North Las Vegas can only succeed if we make a concentrated effort to bring true development downtown," he said. "The citizens in our older neighborhoods cannot be ignored at the expense of our new growth."

The other key issues as he sees them are organized and directed growth, more city involvement in education and more parks and recreation programs and facilities.

Cienega is a Marine Corps veteran who was commissioned as a Metro Police officer on July 1, 1994. He speaks Spanish and has assisted as an interpreter at crime scenes and auto accidents. He also has been active with the Boys and Girls Clubs.

"I'm running for the office to make a real difference in the lives of North Las Vegas families," said Cienega, a Drug Abuse Resistance Education officer. "I see the difference I make every day in the lives of our kids when I teach the DARE program. This is the kind of commitment I will bring to the City Council."

The key issues as he sees them are revitalization of older neighborhoods, master planning for growth, tougher punishments and smarter prevention of crime, more street lights, better roads and more parks and libraries.

Two planning commissioners hope to step up from appointed to elected offices: Shari Buck, 38, a graduate of Rancho High School who has a bachelor's degree in English, and Christopher Montanez, 40, who also was a member of the advisory board for the North Las Vegas Redevelopment Agency from 1992 to 1996.

Buck is a former member of the North Las Vegas Parks and Recreation Board and a lifelong Southern Nevadan. A small business owner and a substitute teacher, she has never before run for office. She is the daughter of former police chief and gaming regulator Jim Avance.

The key issues for her include managed growth, high ethical standards, education and helping the older neighborhoods.

Montanez is a general manager for a casino, a member of the American Resort Development Association and a Marine Corps veteran.

"I speak for and represent the working Joe of the community," he said, noting that key issues for him are well-planned growth, better housing for seniors, redevelopment of the downtown area and better education.

Others in the field are:

-- Marcia Lynn Blake, 26, a graduate of Brigham Young University, who is the manager of women's shoes at an upscale department store. Blake has never before run for office.

The key issues as Blake sees them are better communication between the city and its citizens, more parks and libraries, fiscal responsibility and better roads.

-- Bob Campagna, 37, who has spent 13 years in the gaming industry in jobs that have included card dealer, slot supervisor and pit boss.

Campagna is a Neighborhood Watch block captain and a member of the Big Brothers/Big Sisters program. "I've never held public office before," he sayd, "so I bring a fresh taxpayer's outlook to the process."

The key issues as he sees them include education, better crime prevention and fiscal responsibility. He will seek more efficient and better planned school bus routes, more schools and teachers, and more police and fire positions with better pay incentives.

-- Connie Glass, 50, a medical technician who has twice sought office in North Las Vegas.

Glass ran unsuccessfully for the North Las Vegas City Council in 1987 and the North Las Vegas Constable's office in 1994.

The key issues for her include more recreational facilities that are close to neighborhoods, re-establishing confidence in the quality of homes that are being built and a better master plan.

-- Laura Perkins, 34, who has a bachelor's degree in education from UNLV and an associate degree in electronic engineering from the Community College of Southern Nevada.

Perkins is a former Frontier Girl Scout leader who has never before sought political office. She wants more recreational facilities.

"I advocate an integrated master plan to include a balance of residential, business to support the residents and light industry to promote jobs," she said. "I encourage quality schools that are an agreeable distance from our neighborhoods."

-- Stan Vaughan, 42, a professional chess teacher and organizer, serves on the executive board of the Libertarian Party of Clark County, making him the only candidate in the nonpartisan race who is neither Republican nor Democrat.

Vaughan serves on the board of directors of the American Chess Association and the Nevada State Chess Association, groups he co-founded. Appropriately, his campaign slogan is, "It's time to make your move."

Vaughan is involved in community service including youth baseball. He said his extensive background in accounting and business administration would serve the city well.

-- Tony White, 39, a technology specialist who is a 1977 Rancho High School graduate.

White has had more than 17 years experience with local governments. He is a former North Las Vegas City employee in computer administration and now works for the Clark County School District.

He wants to change the image of North Las Vegas to that of a "positive family and business community," provide better recreational facilities, expand upscale housing, improve traffic conditions, expand the city's economic base, create a quality program for senior citizens, follow the master plan and intensify economic and redevelopment efforts.

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