McDonald out to stop council 'carpetbaggers'

Several candidates for the two open Las Vegas City Council seats would be ineligible if a proposed change to residency requirements was now in effect.

Councilman Michael McDonald said Thursday he has asked the city attorney's office to explore changing the city's residency requirement from 30 days to one year.

Under that proposal, a council candidate would have to reside in the ward he is seeking to represent for at least a year.

But that change would require the state Legislature to amend the city charter, and the Legislature won't convene again until 2001 -- allowing the pending appointments to be filled with "carpetbaggers."

Two appointments to the council must be made by year's end under a state law passed this year. Two new wards have been proposed under a redistricting plan and dozens of residents have expressed interest in filling those seats.

But not all of the potential office holders live in what is proposed to be Ward 5 and 6.

Planning Commissioner Michael Mack, for example, proudly stated he will move his family from what is now Ward 2 into the proposed Ward 6 to establish residency and thus be eligible for the position.

State Assemblyman Tom Collins, Hispanics in Politics President Fernando Romero, former UNLV quarterback Steve Stallworth, Nevada Power executive Tony Dazzio, State Board of Education member Priscilla Rocha and Las Vegas Planning Commissioner Craig Galati have all expressed interest in the Ward 6 seat even though none currently lives there.

For her part, Rocha said she did not want to be considered a carpetbagger, and was removing her name from contention. Dazzio, Stallworth and Galati all said they didn't want to move to be considered for the position.

Still, Mack, Collins and Romero would have to relocate to be considered.

Others interested in the Ward 6 seat, who actually live there, include Orlando Sanchez -- the city's Building Services manager -- and Louise Ruskamp, vice president of the Tule Springs Community Association.

"Why are you going to take somebody who's a carpetbagger and put them in (office)? Because they know somebody or because of the color of their skin?" McDonald said.

"If I'm sitting at my mom and dad's house, where I've lived for 34 years, and you come in from Green Valley or Henderson and are going to represent me, you don't know the issues of my neighborhood. You don't live there," McDonald said.

The new Ward 5 seat has also received interest from at least one nonresident, Mujahid Ramadan. Ramadan said he planned to move to West Las Vegas from his North Las Vegas home to seek the appointment.

Longtime West Las Vegans Lawrence Weekly, Uri Clinton and Harvey Munford have also expressed interest in the Ward 5 seat and say they understand the proposed district's issues.

McDonald's requested change in the city's charter has support, even if it could not be applied until 2001.

"I think anybody who's running or interested in office should have a bond with the area they're going to represent," said Councilman Gary Reese.

Councilwoman Lynette Boggs McDonald said she receives messages on her doorstep from neighbors and considers living in the ward she represents to be invaluable.

"I think it's doable," Boggs McDonald said of a charter change. "It won't help us this time around, but for the future, I think there is some merit in that."

McDonald said he will wait until the final redistricting map is approved before considering who to appoint to the positions.

"I'm first going to take a strong look at who lives there," McDonald said.

archive