Few surprises in Clark County Commission-race debate

By Joe Schoenmann

Sunday, May 23, 2010 | 2 a.m.

Four Democratic candidates vying for the Clark County Commission seat held by Rory Reid, who is running for governor, had a chance to talk about the issues Thursday on “Face to Face With Jon Ralston.” Ralston asked the candidates — Greg Esposito, Ron Newell, David Parks and Mary Beth Scow were present; Michael Dicks was absent — about their positions on unions, arena proposals and University Medical Center. They also had the chance to present an “original” idea.

Who among the candidates did best?

We talked to political pundits the day after the show, and their assessment was that it was a coin flip.

“I don’t think any of them stood out,” one said.

To be fair, it lasted a half-hour, leaving little time for nuanced answers.

How about some examples of what happened?

Because salaries and benefits constitute roughly 80 percent of the county budget, let’s focus on the candidates’ answers on union contracts.

Parks, a longtime state legislator, might be the ultimate union-supported candidate. His website lists 56 groups endorsing him, with about half union organizations, including the Professional Fire Fighters of Nevada. Parks said he “supports (unions’) major concerns ... but as far as local government goes, with property taxes down 29 percent, I think voluntarily unions should sit down and renegotiate their contracts.”

One notable example of where that did not happen last year involved the Clark County firefighters union. It offered no concessions to the county while other unions did.

Campaign websites for the other three candidates list no endorsements. The Sun could not locate a website for Dicks.

Esposito, marketing director for Plumbers, Pipefitters and Service Technicians Local Union 525, said despite his union background he thinks the county “can’t take one special interest over the interests of everybody else you represent.”

“If the money isn’t there, we have to try and figure out solutions to live within our means.”

Newell, a former Teamster, said contracts have to be respected and can be renegotiated when the contracts end.

“People live on what they make, and when they have a pay raise, they know what’s coming,” he said, making the case against changing contracts midstream.

Scow, who was term-limited off the Clark County School Board, pointed to its adoption of “interest-based bargaining,” which unlike collective bargaining focuses less on positions and more on shared interests between employers and unions, as an example of her insight into union issues. Scow said the teachers union’s recent decision to take a pay cut to avoid layoffs is an example of how she is tough with unions.

So you’re saying it was hard to distinguish among the candidates based on how they answered that question?

That’s in the eye of the beholder.

How did they answer the request for an “original idea”?

Scow went first. She couldn’t come up with anything.

Parks said he would pursue consolidation. A good idea, perhaps, but hardly original given that Las Vegas Mayor Oscar Goodman has been discussing consolidation with the county for nearly 12 years.

Newell said he wants to create renewable energy zones in the county.

And Esposito said he wants to work as a sort of economic diversification ambassador, trying to bring new businesses to this one-industry county.

When is the primary election?

It is under way. Early voting started Saturday and lasts through June 4. The primary is June 8. Republican candidate Doug Bell, a retired Clark County administrator, does not face a primary vote because he is the lone Republican running for the seat.

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Why was I mailed two sample ballots — one in Spanish and one in English — for the June 8 primary? I thought Nevada was short on money.

This question came from a reader in Mesquite. Given local government’s dire economic situation, it’s a good one.

The answer, it turns out, is that local government has little choice.

Harvard Lomax, the county registrar of voters, said “mailing the sample ballots in both languages is the most efficient and cost-effective way to ensure we comply with the federal Voting Rights Act.”

That act requires election information in English to also be available in Spanish, he said, so everyone “will have an effective opportunity to register, learn the details of the election and cast an educated and informed vote.”

County Quote of the Week

“We would be destroying our credit rating.”

— County Comptroller Ed Finger during Tuesday’s commission meeting, answering the question: If Clark County helped fund a private arena through tax increment or other bonds, and developers failed to pay their debt, would the county be forced to pay it? Despite developers’ assurances that the county would not be on the hook, Finger said the county would likely feel obligated to pay off the debt to maintain its rating.