Proposal would create chapel handbiller zones

By Sam Skolnik

Monday, June 23, 2008 | 2 a.m.

Call it the Great Wedding Chapel Compromise of 2008.

Debate has raged for years over what to do about the aggressive handbillers who, in attempts to drum up business for their wedding chapels, have at times accosted both one another and the couples trying to get to and from the Clark County Marriage Bureau downtown.

After Las Vegas City Councilman Gary Reese recently introduced a bill that in part would have mandated that handbillers stay at least 100 feet away from the front door of the marriage bureau, wedding chapel owners divided into two camps.

One side said the proposal didn’t go far enough, maintaining that overly aggressive handbilling was hurting the reputation of the industry. The other camp, primarily made up of smaller chapels’ owners, argued that if the city took away their ability to handbill wherever they want, their businesses would dry up.

City managers may finally have found a solution that makes both camps happy — or at least less unhappy.

Instead of congregating close-in to the marriage bureau’s entrance as they do now, and instead of shoving them 100 feet or more away, City Attorney Brad Jerbic proposed at a committee meeting last week that the handbillers do their peddling in two specially designed “solicitation zones” not far from the entrance.

Both areas would be 3-feet by 50-feet. One would be located on Third Street, the other just around the corner on Clark Avenue. The areas would be clearly marked, and handbillers who strayed outside the lines could be charged with a misdemeanor if caught.

Jerbic said that he and Jim DiFiore, manager of the city’s business services division, came up with the idea during a recent walk through of the area.

During a council committee meeting last month, tempers flared when chapel owners debated the issue. That was not the case at the more recent meeting.

“I think it’s a good start,” said Cliff Evarts, owner of Vegas Wedding Chapel.

Both members of the council’s recommending committee, Ricki Barlow and Lois Tarkanian, voted to approve the compromise bill. The full council will vote on the revised bill July 2.

•••

Mayor Oscar Goodman was off to South Florida this weekend, not (necessarily) to sample the latest in Miami martini mixology, but rather to take in the annual U.S. Conference of Mayors meeting, which closes today.

Goodman was to spend Friday at a mayors committee meeting looking at the high price of gas and how cities across the country are responding.

At a luncheon Saturday, just after Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama was to address the conference, Goodman was to accept an honorable mention award on behalf of the city for developing programs that enhance the city’s livability.

But wait, there’s more glamour to come. Today Goodman will accept another prize — the 2008 National Award for Local Arts Leadership.

Two others are also scheduled to be so honored: Missouri Gov. Matt Blunt and the Queen of Latin Pop, Gloria Estefan, who, along with her husband, music producer Emilio Estefan Jr., will receive lifetime achievement awards.

Goodman may be better known for his drinking than his dancing, but if there’s ever a time the rhythm is gonna get him, this might be it.

The night before Goodman and Estefan are set to receive their awards, a “Late Night Event” is scheduled at the club owned by the Estefans, Bongo’s, which, according to the agenda, “offers up a variety of spicy Latin music.”