Wednesday, Aug. 25, 1999 | 3:17 a.m.
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
ELY, Nev. - The future of this isolated eastern Nevada town's only operating brothel could be decided Thursday when opponents of legalized prostitution and those who prefer the status quo face off in a public debate.
The charge to eliminate legal prostitution in Ely is led by Councilman Stuart Tracy, who said the practice doesn't belong in a town where family life is paramount.
"As a councilman, the safety of the community and the provision of services are my top priorities," he said. "If something does not help foster the family, if it does the contrary, then we ought to look at getting rid of it."
The "it" is the Stardust Ranch, the sole brothel still operating in the city, where prostitution has been legal since 1959. Prostitution isn't authorized in unincorporated White Pine County.
On the other side of the question is Mayor Robert Miller, who said legalized prostitution is part of a Nevada history that includes drinking and gambling.
"I have high moral standards," he said. "The question is whether it is the responsibility of government to legislate those morals."
An ordinance sponsored by Tracy to abolish legal prostitution in Ely will be the focus of a public hearing that has been moved to the Bristlecone Convention Center because of the anticipated crowd. The ordinance would make it "illegal to engage in acts of prostitution or related activities" within the city limits.
George Flint, a lobbyist for the Nevada Brothel Association, said he would attend the hearing and speak on behalf of the Stardust, which only recently was re-licensed for operation in Ely.
"It is ironic to me that there has been no call or demand to ban prostitution in Ely," he said. "It's coming only from one guy appointed to fill an unexpired term on the council."
Flint said the problems Ely has had with legal prostitution result from a failure on the part of city officials to better regulate the industry and control who operates brothels in town.
"The city doesn't need to abolish legal prostitution," he said. "City officials need better regulations to keep the undesirables out."
Ten rural Nevada counties authorize legal prostitution. About 30 brothels are in operation.
Dorothy Phillips, a former Ely City Council member, has been particularly vocal in her opposition to Tracy's proposal.
"I've lived her for 46 years and raised two fine sons," she said. "For some newcomer to come in and say the brothel should be closed to make the town a decent place for children is insulting. I say my children are decent."
Phillips said she doesn't drink or gamble, but she isn't pushing to close down the bars or casinos.
"We don't need a newcomer to tell us we're not living right," she said.
Tracy said he has lived in Ely for 11 years and his wife is a lifelong resident. Although new to the council - he was appointed earlier this year - Tracy said it is his job to make these decisions.
"I want to get the brothels out of the city," he said. "Cities are for families, and I don't see anything that a brothel teaches or exemplifies that strengthens the family."
No one in Ely, 245 miles north of Las Vegas, appears to be quite certain how the debate will turn out.
The five-member City Council took the first formal step toward banning the brothels on Aug. 12, when a 4-0 vote provided for the introduction of the ordinance and the public hearing. But Tracy was on the losing end of two 4-1 votes earlier in the year that allowed the Stardust Ranch to reopen.
Tracy said he believes the council will approve the ordinance, but the matter is more complicated than that.
Miller, as mayor, can veto any ordinance passed by the council. Four votes from the council then would be required to override the veto and make the ordinance effective.
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