Thursday, April 10, 2003
Copyright © Las Vegas Review-Journal

LAS VEGAS CITY COUNCIL WARD 1: Moncrief basks in attention

McDonald challenger outpolled councilman in primary despite being outspent 28-to-1

Janet Moncrief speaks Wednesday with a television reporter. The Ward 1 candidate outpolled Las Vegas City Councilman Michael McDonald in Tuesday's primary. Photo by K.M. Cannon. "A lot (of constituents) are calling and saying, 'We thought you had it won.'" MICHAEL MCDONALD LAS VEGAS CITY COUNCILMAN, WARD 1

Janet Moncrief was enjoying on Wednesday her overnight transformation from political unknown to serious contender in the Las Vegas Ward 1 council race.

Television crews were beating a path to her door. Forty-five messages had piled up on her voice mail. And voters were volunteering donations and requesting yard signs to show their support for her candidacy.

The attention following her unexpected outpolling of incumbent Councilman Michael McDonald 48 percent to 44 percent in Tuesday's primary has overwhelmed and encouraged her. But she claims she wasn't surprised by the outcome.

"I walked the ward for six weeks," she said. "There was an outcry for a change."

Political observers believe Moncrief's strong showing, all the more surprising because she was outspent by McDonald 28-to-1, will result in money for yard signs, if not the momentum to carry her to an upset victory in the June 3 general election.

"She's captured a certain amount of momentum," observed political consultant Dan Hart, who has been involved in several Las Vegas political campaigns over the years. "I would think she'll be able to raise some dough; she'll certainly have more than she had in the previous race."

McDonald, his campaign consultants and political observers attributed the incumbent's poor showing to low voter turnout. Only 18 percent of registered voters cast ballots.

"I think a lot of Mike's supporters thought he couldn't lose and didn't vote," said Kent Oram, a consultant to the McDonald campaign.

McDonald said he'd received numerous calls Wednesday from supporters apologizing for not getting to the polls. "A lot are calling and saying, `We thought you had it won,' " he said.

Ted Jelen, chairman of the University of Nevada, Las Vegas Political Science Department, believes the two-term councilman's past ethical problems hurt him.

"Basically, McDonald has achieved what a lot of politicians at a local level hope for, high name recognition, but it's not doing him any good," Jelen said. "What people remember is he had this ethical problem."

McDonald's run-ins with the city and state ethics codes were one of the reasons Moncrief moved into the ward in December to run against him.

Moncrief, who grew up in Illinois, moved to Las Vegas 13 years ago from Florida where she'd worked in management for a large health care company.

Though she has only resided in Ward 1 for a few months, her ties to the area as a University Medical Center nurse date back 13 years, she said. She still works weekends in the hospital's radiology department.

A single mother with a 22-year-old daughter in college, Moncrief said she is running to bring a more even-handed expenditure of city funds throughout the ward. Residents have told her the recent reconstruction of Alta Drive in an affluent part of the district angered them.

She would also focus on downtown redevelopment. But she thinks expenditures such as the recent $7 million for a new light show at the Fremont Street Experience aren't going to rejuvenate the area.

"We've got to come up with better ideas," she said. "I think the Fremont Street Experience isn't making it."

Observers believe the Moncrief campaign, which had $677 on hand on April 1, will attract more donors. But the imbalance between her war chest and McDonald's is striking.

McDonald had $232, 489 left in his campaign coffers at the beginning of the month.

Moncrief's campaign may receive some outside support from McDonald's enemies.

A series of mailers, some of them mailed anonymously, have reminded voters of McDonald's run-in with the city and state ethics panels during 2000.

McDonald was accused of violating the city's ethics code by trying to thwart a controversial alcohol license application by political consultant Sig Rogich and advocating the sale of a troubled athletic complex to the city to benefit his boss. The ethics board referred the latter charge to District Court, where the judge ruled McDonald's actions did not rise to the level of malfeasance.

The state Ethics Commission later cleared him of the charge he improperly voted to grant a lucrative trash-hauling contract without disclosing his relationship with several company officials.

One McDonald foe vows the fliers will continue. Defeated Ward 1 candidate Peter "Chris" Christoff, who acknowledged mailing one anonymous flier criticizing McDonald's ethics, said he'll continue his attacks. He plans to spend between $25,000 and $38,000 in the coming weeks on the fliers.

"I want him out," Christoff said. "I have a right to do this."

McDonald political consultant Jim Ferrence said the negative mailers, including a last-minute anonymous flier casting the councilman as anti-union, despite receiving union endorsements, cost McDonald votes and amount to up to $40,000 in illegal campaign spending against him.

He also accused Moncrief of being a party to them.

"There's no question in my mind Janet Moncrief is involved in what's going on in the campaign in Ward 1," he said. "We're playing by the rules and they're not."

Moncrief said the negative fliers probably helped her campaign, but she has had nothing to do with them and has promised not to run a negative campaign.

McDonald's camp said they'll answer any attacks. They'll also focus on boosting voter turnout in the general election.

Though she hasn't defined her strategy for the general election, and is still relying on her daughter and a few friends for help, Moncrief remains confident of her chances.

"Win or lose, I made a huge difference; I gave people a choice," she said. "But I think I'm going to win in a landslide."