City Council showdown set for June

      The bitterly fought race between incumbent Las Vegas Councilman Matthew Callister and water district executive Larry Brown is heading for a showdown on June 3.
      Callister received 46 percent of the vote, and Brown 43 percent in Tuesday's primary election. Republican activist David Hough netted 11 percent of the vote.
      A candidate needed more than 50 percent of the vote in order to win the election outright. The top two candidates, Callister and Brown, face off next month in a general election.
      Callister struck a confident tone in an interview after the final results were compiled Tuesday night.
      "I'm actually very thrilled, given the extent of negative campaigning that's gone on the last two weeks," Callister said.
      Brown also said he was encouraged by his finish.
      "Ninety days ago, very few people gave me any chance of knocking off a career politician," Brown said. "These last few days, my opponent threw everything at me from the kitchen sink to blatant lies, and the people saw right through it."
      Few voters went to the polls in the race. According to the Las Vegas city clerk's office, only 18 percent of registered voters in Ward 4 turned out to vote.
      Callister edged out Brown by less than 300 votes in a ward that covers most of northwest Las Vegas north of Lake Mead Boulevard.
      The result comes after weeks of accusations and name calling by both candidates. Callister described Brown as a "career bureaucrat" acting in an "asinine and juvenile" way.
      He also tagged Brown as an "out-of-control politician," even though the challenger never has held public office. The councilman said Brown is at the root of the valley's traffic problems, accusing him of approving 90 percent of apartment complexes as a member of the Las Vegas Planning Commission.
      Brown, meanwhile, waged a campaign against Callister's character, calling the attorney and former state legislator a "lawyer-lobbyist up to his neck in conflicts." He contrasted Callister's background with his own resume, which includes a Harvard degree and a stint on the Las Vegas Stars pitching staff.
      Brown also seized on a revelation two weeks ago that Callister didn't disclose a $10,000 campaign contribution from The Howard Hughes Corp. The secretary of state's office fined Callister $6,000 for the transgression, which was featured prominently in Brown's television commercials. Brown said the campaign violation reflected Callister's suspect code of ethics.
      Policy matters took a back seat to politics in the Ward 4 race, but the candidates did occasionally address issues. Foremost among them was how to manage the valley's explosive growth, reduce property taxes, and build parks.
      Callister took the lead on the policy front, proposing plans to equalize city and county property rates and impose a $500 per home impact fee to pay for new schools. He also advocated stopping the spread of gaming into neighborhoods, although the councilman supported a Hughes Corp. development that will include two casinos, as well as 20,250 homes and five golf courses.
      Brown, a Little League coach, said building parks in northwest Las Vegas would be his first priority. And he pitched a tax-equity plan that would cut the city's budget by $20 million and use the money to pay for a property tax reduction.
      In interviews last night, the candidates sounded poised for a rough-and-tumble general election.
      "Integrity is the fundamental difference between me and my opponent," Brown said. "People are tired of a career politician making headlines but no headway."
      Callister, whose campaign recently has run TV ads attacking Brown, vowed to focus on pressing problems in the coming weeks.
      "This election is absolutely a referendum on growth, period," he said. "This is going to be about the issues."
     
     Tuesday's primary election.