Neal: NLV council members should live in their wards

CARSON CITY -- A North Las Vegas state senator said he thinks it's a good idea for his hometown's council members to live in the wards they represent.

Sen. Joe Neal Jr., D-North Las Vegas, is a member of the Senate Government Affairs committee that on Monday heard testimony regarding a bill that would divide North Las Vegas into wards in time for the 2001 election. If the proposal passes, candidates would have to live in the wards they want to represent.

Currently, three of the city council's five members live within four blocks of each other, a fourth lives within four miles of that trio. Neal says that's too close to provide adequate representation to all residents.

"That empowers that community in terms of services," Neal said. "It's a disadvantage to the major, older sections of the city. I live in the older section of town, and I'm very much concerned about that."

North Las Vegas City Councilman John Rhodes, who already has testified on behalf of the bill before the Assembly, was in Carson City again Monday to give his support of the measure. He is the only councilman to have done so. Three others have opposed it.

Rhodes says North Las Vegas has become too big for at-large representation and creating wards is the only way to make sure all residents have a voice on the council.

The measure also would level the playing field for first-time candidates, who can't begin to compete with the money an incumbent can throw at a citywide campaign.

Mailings alone cost in the neighborhood of $40,000, and a successful campaign can cost about $80,000, Rhodes said.

Most newcomers raise about $4,000. With that kind of money and the time and energy it takes to go door-to-door throughout the entire city, elections become little more than identity battles, he said.

"Right now, you have a name identification process," Rhodes told the Senate panel. "With this, you'll create a system where people have to debate on the issues in regards to a specific community."

Warren Hardy, a city lobbyist, read a statement on behalf of the three North las Vegas council members who oppose the measure but could not attend Monday's hearing.

In that statement council members, Paula Brown, William Robinson and Stephanie Smith, explained that in 1998 they decided against submitting the proposal as a bill. They believe majority rule should prevail now, and that the matter should be left up to North Las Vegas residents and council members.

After Hardy finished reading, Neal noted that the statement didn't mention anything about spreading representation evenly.

"The council men did not deal with the real issue, and that's dispersing the candidates," Neal said.

Hardy said council members realize they will have to face the issue, but they believe it should be decided locally.

The committee took no action on the bill Monday but must do so by Friday, or it dies for this session.

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