Sunday, May 16, 2004
Copyright © Las Vegas Review-Journal

Former councilman buys his first home

McDonald purchases Pinto Lane house one day before it was scheduled for auction

McDonald said he paid between $500,000 and $700,000 for the home at 2520 Pinto Lane, near Rancho and Alta drives.

Former City Councilman Michael McDonald bought his first home Friday, a day before it was scheduled for auction.

McDonald said he paid between $500,000 and $700,000 for the home at 2520 Pinto Lane, near Rancho and Alta drives. He declined to be more specific.

The home last sold in 1992 for $340,000, according to county records.

"I got a great deal on the house, I can tell you that," McDonald said.

The 3,175-square-foot house, built in 1962, sits on an acre of land and comes with a swimming pool. It's also rife with 1960s decor, including wall-to-wall forest green carpet and a living room featuring a wavy drop ceiling and a fire pit.

Other residents of the neighborhood include Supreme Court candidate Don Ashworth and members of such prominent Las Vegas families as the Tarkanians and the Morans.

Political newcomer Janet Moncrief unseated McDonald last year. Before the election, McDonald acknowledged he was a paid consultant to strip club owner Michael Galardi, who would later plead guilty to federal corruption charges.

McDonald has not been charged with any crimes in the investigation, which ensnared several other local officials, including former County Commissioner Erin Kenny, who recently bought a $869,000 house in Summerlin.

McDonald heard the house on Pinto Lane was for sale when several neighbors called him earlier this week, he said.

The home was scheduled for a Saturday auction, but McDonald contacted the homeowner, Elizabeth Brown, and struck a deal.

McDonald said he met Brown and her husband, Norman, during his first campaign and developed a friendship with them. Norman Brown recently died.

McDonald said he was paying for the house with a mortgage "just like every other homeowner in the valley."

McDonald said he had been searching for a home big enough for himself and his parents, who are in their late 70s. He planned to surprise them with the house.

"This is probably the greatest day of my life," he said.