Saying she will provide stable representation to residents of Clark County Commission District F, longtime school board trustee Susan Brager announced Monday that she is a candidate for the seat held by Lynette Boggs McDonald.
Brager, a Democrat, said the people who live in the fast-growing southwest region of the county deserve consistent leadership, and instead the district has had three different commissioners in five years.
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"It's been transitional," said Brager, who has served three terms on the Clark County School District Board. "I want to bring stability. I'm not looking for another seat; I'm not looking for something else."
Former Commissioner Erin Kenny, who pleaded guilty to federal political corruption charges in 2003, served the district from 1995 through 2002.
Mark James replaced Kenny but abruptly resigned in 2004.
Boggs McDonald, a Republican, was appointed to the District F seat in March 2004 by Gov. Kenny Guinn. She then won an election to keep the office later that year.
But because James' term was scheduled to expire Jan. 1, 2007, the seat is on the ballot in November for a full four-year term. The primary is Aug. 14.
Brager said she has been frustrated by the lack of forethought by county government when it comes to traffic problems and related infrastructure, such as traffic signals.
She noted a series of deaths on the state-owned Blue Diamond Road near Durango Drive. Residents have pleaded with elected officials to install a signal at the intersection.
"We've had deaths on Blue Diamond Road for 20 years," Brager said. "I realize it's a state road, but we need to work together. Safety is an issue. I'm not a do-nothing person."
Brager, a real estate agent, also is the chairwoman of the Southern Nevada Regional Planning Coalition, an advisory committee that makes recommendations to local government bodies.
Although she has enjoyed her tenure on the school board, she said, she believes she can do more for the entire community as a county commissioner.
"It seems like a natural transition," she said.
Brager said she hopes to boost public faith in government, which has been shaken by a year of developments in a political corruption case involving four former commissioners, including Kenny.
"My record as an elected official speaks for itself," she said. "I'm not beholden to anyone. My votes as a trustee are always made with an eye toward what will best benefit my constituents and the children of Nevada."
District F is a largely Democratic district, but Boggs McDonald managed to defeat former Democratic Assemblyman David Goldwater during their 2004 race.
The former Las Vegas City councilwoman has run into ethics troubles since that election, however.
A complaint filed against her last year will be heard Wednesday by the Nevada Commission on Ethics.
The complaint alleges she tried to influence legislators in 2003 to kill a plan by state Treasurer Brian Krolicki to reorganize his office.
After the reorganization, Boggs McDonald's husband, Steven, lost his job as deputy treasurer for unclaimed property.
Boggs McDonald did not return a phone message seeking comment Monday.
One of Boggs McDonald's political consultants, Ryan Irwin, said he expects Boggs McDonald will beat the ethics complaint and will be successful in maintaining her seat on the County Commission.
"It's hard for them to use (the ethics complaint) as a weapon if and when she is found innocent, which I think is likely," Irwin said.
Boggs McDonald's accessibility to her constituents and the progress she has made in the district during her two years on the board probably will be enough to earn her another term, he said.
He noted that it was Boggs McDonald, not the school board, that forced Rhodes Ranch developer Jim Rhodes to fulfill an obligation to provide land for a new elementary school near his development.
"She historically and every day does a good job for her community," Irwin said. "She's made some incredible in-roads for the constituents, and I think anyone will find she is tough to beat."
