Registration under way for election to recall Las Vegas Councilman Steve Ross

By Dave Toplikar

Thursday, Jan. 5, 2012 | 5:06 p.m.

Las Vegas residents who want to take part in the special recall election of Ward 6 Councilman Steve Ross at the end of this month can register to vote through Jan. 14, city officials announced this afternoon.

The city's Special Recall Election will be held on Tuesday, Jan. 31, with early voting taking place Jan. 26 through 27.

An earlier effort to force a recall election against Ross failed in August for the lack of sufficient signatures, but the same group was able to force the recall last month.

The Committee to Recall Steve Ross submitted 1,189 signatures on Dec. 19 to the Nevada Secretary of State's office. The recall needed 1,084 signatures to qualify.

Voters in Ward 6 (see map) may register in person through 9 p.m. Jan. 14 in the city clerk’s office, which is on the first floor of Las Vegas City Hall, 400 Stewart Ave.

The city clerk’s office is open for in-person voter registration and for extended hours from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 12; and from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Friday, Jan. 13, and Saturday, Jan. 14.

The "Toss Ross" recall has been pushed by Joe Scala, a car dealer who was denied a waiver to continue operating a dealership in Centennial Hills, which is in Ross’ ward.

Scala and his workers blame Ross for the closure. Ross says he tried to work with Scala to keep the business open and its workers employed, but Scala refused to cooperate.

A Centennial Hills ordinance requires car dealerships to have a franchise agreement with an auto manufacturer, like Ford or Toyota, to operate. When the financial crisis hit in 2007 and 2008, many big auto manufacturers backed out of franchise deals, including one with Courtesy.

Ross and the City Council passed a measure to temporarily lift the requirement, but the stopgap expired in December 2010 and the Courtesy dealership closed.

Ross claims Scala "refused to comply with honest attempts to keep the doors open and...requested an inappropriate 'sweetheart' deal not available to any other dealer."

Ross said he refused to compromise his integrity or be intimidated, so he held his ground against Scala.

Ross won a second four-year term to represent Ward 6 in 2009 with 54.8 percent of the vote against his challenger, attorney Jennifer Taylor.

Ross ran for mayor earlier this year, but after finishing in fifth place in the primary, he endorsed Carolyn Goodman, who won the seat.