Las Vegas Sun

March 28, 2024

BC mayor Ferraro wins a close one

In a race that showed how every vote counts, Boulder City Mayor Bob Ferraro celebrated an 18-vote victory Tuesday night at the golf course that had threatened his re-election campaign and may have played a part in City Councilman Bryan Nix's election-night loss.

"If I have to lose an election over the golf course, then so be it," said Nix, who joined the Ferraro victory party at Montanas restaurant at the Boulder Creek Golf Club. Nix was seeking a third term on the council, but ran third to Karla Burton and Roger Tobler in a race where only the top two finishers were elected.

Ferraro's challenger Bill Smith had focused his campaign on the golf course and a new water line, saying the roughly $56 million borrowed for those two projects would come back to financially cripple the city.

Smith, 77, a councilman from 1997 to 2001, called on voters to oust the incumbents for supporting the projects. Both Ferraro and Nix, the only incumbents on the ballot, said the projects were good investments for the city. The water line was needed to meet rising demand and to give the city a backup supply, while the golf course gives the city another tourist attraction and will eventually make the city money.

Both projects will eventually turn enough of a profit to cover the debt, although it is unclear now when the golf course will be able to do so, they and other city officials have said.

Ferraro said Smith's strong showing in the election was partly the result of Smith's campaign message scaring older city voters, who were wary of the city taking on so much debt.

"There are a number of seniors living on fixed incomes who may have lost money in the stock market recently, and they were wary," Ferraro said.

In winning another four years in the mayor's office, Ferraro overcame a second- place finish in the April 8 primary, which Smith won by 134 votes. But Ferraro said the endorsement from Councilman Mike Pacini, who took 1,148 votes in the mayoral primary, was one of the factors in Ferraro's victory in Tuesday's general election.

In the general election, Ferraro received 2,477 votes, or 50.2 percent; and Smith received 2,459 votes, or 49.8 percent, according to final but unofficial vote totals released by the Clark County Election Department.

Ferraro, 67, has been on the council or mayor since being appointed to the council in 1976 to fill an unexpired term. He was first elected to the council in 1977 and was the first mayor chosen by city voters four years ago. Previously council members selected one of their own to serve as mayor.

Ferraro said the coming four-year term will be his last in elected office. He made the same promise four years ago, but Ferraro said a group of residents talked him into running again. This term, however, will be the last, Ferraro said.

Smith said he will not challenge the results, but he said a city-issued newsletter mailed to all Boulder City residents in early May probably tipped the election to Ferraro. Smith said he is considering filing a formal complaint with the state over the newsletter, which addressed the new water line and Boulder Creek.

He said there's no question the newsletter affected enough votes to turn the close election.

"The election was skewed by the city participation in it," Smith said.

Ferraro initially defended the newsletter as simply putting out facts on issues of concern to residents. But later the mayor said city officials were wrong to put out the newsletter.

"The newsletter was absolutely wrong because anytime you have an official document from the city that close to an election date, it gives the perception ... of wrongdoing," Ferraro said.

The mayor also said the newsletter was one of the sources of what he called misinformation on the golf course, when he called for City Manager John Sullard's resignation last week.

Ferraro's campaign was shaken last week when a financial report on the city-owned Boulder Creek Golf Club showed it likely will lose instead of make money in its first six months, contradicting Ferraro's campaign claims.

The mayor blamed Sullard for misleading information that showed the golf course would make money.

Nix criticized the newsletter, but other city officials stood behind the newsletter saying it was just putting out information residents wanted.

Ferraro said his criticism of Sullard and calling for his resignation probably won over some voters.

The council is scheduled to hold a closed-door personnel session on Monday to discuss Sullard's job performance. However unless he resigns, which Sullard has said he has no plans to do, the city manager's job is safe for now. Sullard's contract says he cannot be fired during the six months following an election.

Joining Ferraro in City Hall for the next four years will be political newcomers Burton and Tobler, who also ran first and second in the primary election.

Burton, 46, a lawyer and retired U.S. Air Force lieutenant colonel who served in the judge advocate general's office, received 35.3 percent of the vote.

Tobler, 37, a Boulder City native who co-owns the Home Hardware and Variety store in the city, ran second with 29.4 percent.

The newly elected officials will be sworn in on June 24.

They will join Andrea Anderson and Mike Pacini on the council. The mayor acts as a voting member of the council in addition to chairing the council meetings.

Nix received almost 21.6 percent of the vote. Nix, 49, is senior appeals officer for the Nevada Department of Administration, Hearings Division, and director of the state Victim of Crime Program.

Kevin Polk, 42, executive director of the Boulder City Senior Center, came in fourth in the council race with 13.7 percent of the vote.

Burton and Tobler will replace Nix and Councilman Douglas Scheppmann, who was appointed to fill the unexpired term of Joe Hardy. Scheppmann decided not to seek a full term. Hardy, a Republican, was elected to the state Assembly.

"The council race stayed in the same order as in the primary, although we pulled away from Bryan a little more," Tobler said. "That may have been because of the golf course."

The new council members will be paid $11,202 a year.

The mayor will be paid $13,898 annually.

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