Incumbent, three hopefuls to vie for Boulder City Council seats

      In Boulder City, where the issue of a proposed landfill has galvanized residents, voters Tuesday night sent an incumbent and three challengers to the general election.
      Bill Smith, Mike Pacini, Mayor Eric Lundgaard and Darryl Martin led the pack of nine candidates vying for two City Council seats. The top four vote-getters advance to the general election.
      First in the field was was Bill Smith, with 23 percent of the vote. An investor who also operates a charitable foundation, he predicted that controversy over the landfill would characterize the general election campaign.
      Lundgaard voted with two other council members earlier this year against letting voters decide through an advisory question whether they wanted a 240-acre landfill in the Eldorado Valley. The dump would be filled primarily with construction debris from around the Las Vegas Valley.
      "The problem with Boulder City is, right now, it's a one-issue town," said Smith, who opposes the landfill, on Tuesday night. "I don't like that, but all of the interest in Boulder City has been generated around the landfill issue."
      Smith favors more accountability by the city in land sales. A Boulder City resident for seven years, Smith also favors a bypass that would divert traffic away from the city.
      Mike Pacini, a store clerk and disc jockey, won 18 percent of the vote. Pacini, who opposes the landfill, favors building a youth center and doing more to keep drugs away from kids.
      "We need to arm our children with everything they need to fight (drugs)," said Pacini, who has lived in the city since 1970.
      Mayor Eric Lundgaard took third, with 14 percent of the vote. Lundgaard, a 16-year resident who has served on the council for 12 years, has supported the landfill. He said that fiscal accountability by the city is a top issue.
      Lundgaard could not be reached for comment.
      Rounding out the top four was Darryl Martin, a computer software designer. Martin, a resident since 1992, opposes the landfill and supports a bypass route.
      Martin said Tuesday night that he would strive for improving the quality of life, controlling growth, and opening up government.
      The other candidates were purchasing agent Cokie Booth (7 percent), sports writer Ben Eckstein (7 percent), small-business owner Tim Harness (10 percent), Ross Johnson (1 percent) and attorney Hamilton Moore (6 percent).