Ward 3's choices: Everyman vs. the rebel

Voters in Las Vegas' Ward 3 will have no difficulty distinguishing one candidate from the other in next week's primary.

The two candidates - incumbent Gary Reese and local activist Joe Sacco - could not be more different.

Reese, 65, who serves as the council's mayor pro tempore, has represented the ward for 12 years and is the council's everyman. He also has been clipping hair behind a chair at the Plaza Barber Shop on Bonanza Road for more than 40 years.

Colleagues say he has mastered the challenging task of working full time in the private sector, without shirking the responsibilities of his part-time council job.

While charges of inaccessibility have dogged other council members, residents of Ward 3 know that if they ever need to find Reese, they need look no farther than the barbershop.

Sacco, 26, is making his first run for the council, but is no stranger to local politics. He is a frequent visitor and citizen participant at Las Vegas City Council and Clark County Commission meetings.

Sacco, a 13-year Las Vegas resident with a degree from UNLV in criminal justice, works as a stagehand at casino shows, special events and trade shows throughout the valley.

Although both candidates agree on many of the issues facing Ward 3, including a rising homeless population, crime and a need for neighborhood revitalization, they have very different ideas about how to make changes.

Reese voted to support a ban on feeding the homeless in local parks last summer when Sacco and his mother, Gail Sacco, were providing meals to the homeless in those parks.

The ordinance was later overturned in court.

When Reese backed a move to close Huntridge Circle Park in Ward 3 because of excessive violence, partly attributed to the homeless, Sacco got arrested at the park the next day for violating a trespass order.

Whether it is with an American flag around his neck, as at the park, or with his pants around his ankles, as at an arrest during a free speech rally at UNLV in 2004, Sacco has shown a propensity to defy authority in defense of his beliefs.

"My parents raised me to be a good American in the sense that the Constitution allows us different ways to address injustices, and one way is through free speech," Sacco said.

Reese says the current council has effectively addressed community problems.

"I really feel the City Council has been very proactive ... in funding programs in the different wards," Reese said.

Sacco acknowledges he is an underdog and faces the challenge of defeating a popular incumbent with name recognition, while any recognition he has is associated with controversial issues.

The biggest challenge for Sacco, however, may be money.

As of March 27, Reese had received more than $182,000 in campaign donations, compared with $2,386 for Sacco.

Like all heavily outspent long shots, Sacco said he hopes to counter that disadvantage with volunteers who have mounted an aggressive door-to-door and phone campaign to get out his message.

Tuesday's primary will determine the victor in the Ward 3 race, because with only two candidates, there will be no need for a general election in June.

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