Monday, May 5, 2003 | 9:53 a.m.
The accusations that have engulfed the Ward 1 Las Vegas City Council race between incumbent Michael McDonald and challenger Janet Moncrief, who garnered more votes in the primary, continued over the weekend.
McDonald's camp announced it has another statement from political consultant George Harris that names Bob Stupak and Tony Dane as the financier and masterminds behind Moncrief. Stupak is the former owner of the Stratosphere and political player who has run for mayor of Las Vegas before. Stupak's two children have also run for City Council.
Dane has run for office several times and was once accused of sending out an anti-gay mailer in last year's Assemblyman David Parks, Nevada's first openly gay lawmaker.
Rumors have circulated since Moncrief entered the race that Stupak and she had a personal relationship. Moncrief has continuously denied any romantic involvement with Stupak claiming he was "just a friend" and that he has not funded any part of her campaign.
Last week Jim Ferrence, McDonald's campaign manager, filed a complaint with the Secretary of State's office saying Moncrief and primary candidate Peter "Chris" Christoff, along with several "John Does" were funding Moncrief's campaign by sending out false mailers under unlisted political action committees and not listing the thousands of dollars in contributions it would take to put out such mailers.
"Our biggest concern is that tens of thousands of dollars are being spent without any reporting by anyone," Ferrence said Sunday. "Now we're perfectly willing to say Stupak is funding it and Dane is running the campaign."
Moncrief said Friday on "Face To Face With Jon Ralston," on Cox cable Channels 1 and 39, that before the campaign finance reporting deadline she produced three fliers on her computer, spent $7,000 to have them reproduced and targeted them to specific households, keeping the cost down.
Harris came to the McDonald camp saying he received a call from Stupak in January in which Stupak said he may have a candidate to run against McDonald.
In a sworn affidavit Harris said: "During this brief conversation with Mr. Stupak, he inquired as to my interest in becoming a consultant for this political campaign. Mr. Stupak indicated that he would pay me $10,000."
The Harris affidavit went on to say that the following day Stupak called again.
"Mr. Stupak further indicated that this candidate, his girlfriend, was a nurse," Harris said.
Then Harris said that Dane told him he was offered $30,000 by the Moncrief campaign to be their consultant and was waiting to see whether they would be able to come up with the money. Harris said the following day Dane called back and said they got the money but would not reveal from where.
Moncrief's campaign finance report filed April 1 shows $4,700 spent on Competitive Edge, a San Diego phone bank.
Moncrief said on "Face To Face" that her campaign was being run by Betty Schultz, who contacted Dane about possibly running a phone bank. Moncrief said she did not know Harris, nor has she ever met him. She also maintained again that Stupak did not put her up to running, he did not contribute to her primary campaign and they were just friends.
"If there were some conspiracy going on and someone is planning this, don't you think they would select someone with a little bit more of a political name, name recognition rather than a registered nurse from UMC hospital?" Moncrief said on the show.
Stupak did not want to comment on the matter when called this morning.
"I'm not interested in any of that," Stupak said.
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