Tuesday, April 29, 2003
Copyright © Las Vegas Review-Journal

COLUMN: John L. Smith

Ward 1 voters will decide whether they care about campaign furor

I don't know if Ward 1 voters care, but a case is being made that campaign laws have been violated in the fight to oust City Councilman Michael McDonald.

Officially, this race is between the incumbent and nurse Janet Moncrief, but it's becoming clear the overriding theme is to yank McDonald like a bad tooth from the council.

For her part, Moncrief is a political neophyte who until recently had shown such small interest in governing she hadn't registered to vote. She hasn't lived in the ward long. And although her rhetoric improves, and it won't take a Lincoln to compete linguistically with her opponent, she hasn't always remembered the geographical boundaries of the ward and at times has been sidetracked by issues that fall miles outside the council's purview.

But she has one undeniable selling point: She is not Michael McDonald, whose ethical entanglements and loyal friendship with topless bar mogul Rick Rizzolo have enabled opponents to paint him in sinister, if not entirely accurate, terms. In the April primary, McDonald was whacked by Moncrief 48 percent to 44 percent.

McDonald's allies argue "their voters" stayed home because they were confident -- as was most of the media -- their man would be returned to office by a wide margin. But if "your voters" don't go to the polls, they're not "your voters."

Fact is, former cop McDonald has strayed from his protector of the neighborhood image, and it's obvious not all his voters love him. Aiding his friend Rizzolo and wealthy constituents on Alta Drive hasn't generated warm feelings, and McDonald has also picked up some nasty enemies in Olympic Garden skin czar Pete Eliades and casino maverick Bob Stupak.

Although McDonald's judgment at times has been suspect, few can rightly criticize his work ethic.

His biggest problem is the fact he's running against an opponent who offers little to criticize. She walks her ward in her nursing scrubs, which clearly plays on the nurse's image but isn't far off McDonald's perennial reliance on his old Metro cop days.

Moncrief does have potential problems. For an unabashed political newcomer, she has benefited from a bag of tricks worthy of a veteran.

In an ethics complaint filed Friday by McDonald's campaign manager, Jim Ferrence, Moncrief and others are accused of sandbagging her campaign finance disclosures. In other words, doing business off the books.

If proven, it would break the law and cast Moncrief in a shadow.

Her campaign received support from candidate Chris Christoff, who placed third in the primary but bloodied up McDonald. Christoff took responsibility for unleashing a vicious attack ad and makes no secret of his disgust.

Nor does former City Councilman Steve Miller, who pummels McDonald relentlessly on a Web site. Miller proudly takes credit for placing damning documents and allegations about McDonald on a site devoted to knocking him out of office.

Ferrence, who once had problems of his own with cloaked political mailers, alleges Moncrief and others conservatively spent $61,710 for mail in the primary in Ward 1. That's far more than the $15,920 Moncrief and Christoff reported spending combined.

You can't get that much bang for the buck, he claims.

"That's an obvious lie," he says. "We've let it stand, but we're not going to let it stand any longer."

Yes, but is anyone listening?

That's the real question.

For her part, Moncrief said she wrote her mail pieces personally and copied them at a local center. She also says she benefited from no inappropriate or unaccounted for money or in-kind services.

Complicating matters for Moncrief are affidavits signed by Robert and Lillian Simpson, who claim Christoff bragged of receiving cash to vilify McDonald and aid Moncrief's campaign.

Of course, Christoff and the rest might argue the end justifies a few political tricks. Ferrence argues the rules of engagement must apply equally if campaigns are to be run fairly and the public is to know just who is running their government.

Which brings me back to my initial proposition:

Do you care?

Can they make you care?

We'll find out June 3.

John L. Smith's column appears Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday and Sunday. E-mail him at Smith@reviewjournal.com or call him at 383-0295.