Realtors endorse in municipal primaries

By Buck Wargo

Friday, April 3, 2009 | 2 a.m.

With more than 14,000 members and a couple hundred thousand dollars to spend, the political action committee of the Greater Las Vegas Association of Realtors is looking to make its mark on the 2009 municipal elections.

The group has been mobilizing Realtors in grass-roots efforts to protect the real estate industry, either by volunteering for campaigns or running for office.

The board of Realtors Political Action Committee has donated the maximum $10,000 to many candidates it supports, and in tight races it is making independent expenditures (where there is no limit). The group is even running a phone bank at its offices.

The PAC plans to spend about $200,000 on the municipal elections — something that’s possible from the more than $400,000 it raised from members in 2008. The steady influx of new members helps the industry fund the PAC during a difficult time in which candidates are trying to raise donations, says Kip Cooper, the group’s government affairs director.

With its war chest, the group believes it has clout in seeking out candidates who support Realtor issues.

“People are scrambling to raise dollars this year because nobody has it. They are going to gaming, builders and restaurants, and they don’t have it to give,” Cooper says. “We are really going to play a significant role because of the economy and because of the support of the membership.”

Started about 15 years ago, it is the largest local real estate political action committee in the country, Cooper says. It was launched to back what he calls “Realtor-friendly” candidates.

“Understanding that if real estate is your profession, politics need to be your business,” Cooper says of the importance of Realtor involvement.

Realtors can play a key role in municipal elections, where turnout is usually light.

“We have enough Realtor members that if our folks get out in force for any candidate, we can sway every single election in Southern Nevada,” Cooper says.

The PAC has some interesting endorsements.

In the race for Henderson mayor, the group is supporting Councilman Steve Kirk over fellow Councilman Andy Hafen and former Councilwoman Amanda Cyphers, a Realtor.

“That was a tough decision for us because she is someone we wanted in the past and is very good on our issues,” Cooper says.

Cyphers has a disadvantage with name recognition because she has been off the council for two years, he says.

In North Las Vegas, the group decided to stay out of the mayoral primary between council members William Robinson, Shari Buck and Stephanie Smith — all candidates the group backed in their council races. Robinson and Buck will be back on the council if they fail to win the race.

In contested council races in Las Vegas, the Realtors are endorsing incumbent Steve Ross and Metro Police Capt. Stavros Anthony.

Realtor issues to watch

The Greater Las Vegas Association of Realtors is following proposed state legislation pushed by Henderson officials that would require interior pool fences for properties when they are sold, Cooper says. The Realtors’ concern is the cost to install a fence where there may not be enough room because of a patio or balcony or where it is not needed, such as in a retirement community.

With three-quarters of the homes sold in foreclosure or short sales, that is one more cost to the seller, he says.

Henderson is pushing the legislation because it says numerous drowning deaths of children could be avoided with an interior fence, Cooper says. Henderson hasn’t provided any information on whether those homes where deaths occurred had interior fences or whether the law would have prevented those deaths.

In Las Vegas Realtors have been successful in warding off an attempt to implement a tax on commercial leases, Cooper says. With commercial vacancies at a high rate, that would have a devastating effect on the leasing market, he adds.

Tenants are already paying for business licenses and property taxes through their lease and any lease tax would be passed onto them, Cooper says.

Las Vegas officials have also been looking at a proposal to set business license fees to the consumer price index and population growth instead of getting approval from the Las Vegas City Council, Cooper says. That appears to be dead, he says.

“The City Council should always take a look at business license fees and see what makes sense for each industry,” Cooper says. “To have a blanket of ever escalating fees is poor public policy.”

City officials are still looking at increasing the fees, but there doesn’t seem to be support for that on the council, Cooper says.

A proposal by Clark County staff has been removed from consideration, Cooper says. The proposal called for requiring landlords to receive training by Metro Police and undergo a criminal-background check.

Commercial property managers already take classes and have background checks, but there was a concern the proposal would require all staff in a property management office to go through the program. That would be costly considering office turnover. It would also apply to owners of fourplexes and add to their expenses as well, he says.

In other news:

• United Construction President and CEO Craig Willcut has been named a national director by the Associated General Contractors of America, a construction trade organization. Willcut has more than 30 years of experience in the construction industry.

Brian Wargo covers real estate and development for In Business Las Vegas and its sister publication, the Las Vegas Sun. He can be reached at 259-4011 or at [email protected].