Voters will decide size of council

Voters won't just be deciding who will be placed on the Las Vegas City Council, they will determine how big that board will be.

A question asking voters whether they want to expand the size of the council -- and thus the wards -- from four to six seats is part of the June 8 general election ballot.

The two candidates for mayor are split when it comes to how they will vote on the issue.

"The workload is just tremendous," said 12-year City Councilman Arnie Adamsen, who is running for mayor. "It is horrendous in terms of constituent contacts and calls.

"I plan to vote for it," he added.

The city's current 448,244 population leaves each council member with 112,000 constituents on average. That average would drop to 77,000 if the measure passes.

Although Adamsen's mayoral opponent, Oscar Goodman, said he's talked to residents who don't feel they have a voice in city government, he said he thinks that will change if he's elected mayor.

"They want to be heard," Goodman said. "I will listen to what they have to say.

"I think that will get the job done rather than spend half a million dollars a year."

Adding two seats carries a one-time cost of $170,000 and annual costs of $540,000.

In Las Vegas, the mayor is elected at-large but has no more power than the four council members. That would not change if the ballot question passes but the council would then be comprised of seven members, not five.

Adding two council members would not require any redesign of the City Hall chambers, as it was designed for growth.

Proponents of the expansion -- led by state Sen. Joe Neal, D-North Las Vegas, -- say the addition of two seats could increase the likelihood that minorities are elected to the board.

Only two blacks have ever been elected to the Las Vegas council and no Hispanic has ever been elected.

Two years ago, Neal sponsored legislation that would have forced the city to expand its council. However, the version that passed the full Legislature only advised the council to expand.

Late last year, the council convened a committee of local residents to examine whether it should be expanded.

That committee recommended expansion, in theory, but asked the council to place the item on the general election ballot as an advisory-only question.

The Legislature recently passed a bill -- sponsored by Neal -- requiring the outcome of the question to be binding on the council.

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