Chiropractor to oppose Gates in event of recall

     Review-Journal
      Clark County Commission Chairwoman Yvonne Atkinson Gates isn't yet facing a recall election, but she already has an opponent should such an election occur.
      Las Vegas chiropractor Terry Akers is expected to announce today he will run against Atkinson Gates should a recall group succeed in putting the issue before voters.
      Akers scheduled a news conference for noon today and issued a news release saying only he is "expected to announce his candidacy."
      A citizens group attempting to recall Atkinson Gates hasn't filed its petitions yet and has until May 9 to collect the needed 4,380 signatures from District D voters to force the election.
      The group, Citizens for Honest and Responsible Government, filed its recall notice in March after Atkinson Gates was reprimanded by the state Ethics Commission for lobbying casino executives to get a lease for a frozen daiquiri business.
      If the group follows through and files its petitions, the Clark County registrar's office would verify the signatures and then set a date for a special election if enough signatures are valid.
      Under state law, Atkinson Gates could face a simple yes-or-no vote for her recall from office or she could face an opponent, who would take office if the recall succeeded.
      No county commissioner has faced recall in nearly 40 years, officials said. Since 1980, only one recall election has occurred, when Mesquite voters ousted Mayor Bill Lee in 1994. In that same time, 13 other recall notices failed to force an election.