Beers to join Ward 2 City Council race
Maybe they can rename Las Vegas' new city hall Carson City South.
Former longtime legislator Bob Beers says he is running for the Las Vegas Ward 2 City Council seat.
If he wins, Beers would be the second former legislator on the current council, joining Councilman Bob Coffin, a Democrat who served in both the Assembly and Senate from 1983 to 2010.
Beers, 52, served in the Assembly from 1999 to 2003 and the Senate from 2003 to 2008 before he was ousted by Democrat Alison Copening in a bitter race. The Nevada Democratic Party later admitted it falsely accused Beers of being the subject of a review by the state Ethics Commission and paid a settlement.
If elected to the post, Beers would become the second Republican on the City Council. The other one is Stavros Anthony. Beers was best-known in the Legislature as a staunch fiscal conservative.
Although he is still eligible for state office, Beers said he is planning to run in the local race in part because winning would not require him to travel to Carson City for months on end for biennial sessions.
An accountant by trade, Beers said he wants to use his professional and legislative experience to make city government more efficient.
"The more of that kind of expertise we have on City Council, the better off we will be," Beers said.
On his website, Beers highlights the settlement of the Democratic Party lawsuit as vindication and jokes, "Today, Beers says he's over it now, but was pretty ticked off there for a while."
Beers is one of several candidates who have declared an interest in the seat vacated by former Councilman Steve Wolfson, who was appointed by the Clark County Commission to replace District Attorney David Roger. Roger took a job with the Las Vegas Police Protective Association.
Others who have expressed interest include Bob Chinn, 53, a retired Metropolitan Police Department captain; Anthony Ruggiero, 47, special assistant to Mayor Pro Tem and Councilman Stavros Anthony; Ron Futrell, 55, a freelance marketing consultant; attorney Bruce Gale, 57; Planning Commissioner Ric Truesdell, 57; and former 1st Congressional District candidate Craig Lake, 28.
The position has an annual salary of $72,742.
Ward 2 covers the southwest part of the city, roughly from U.S. Highway 95 in the north to Sahara Avenue in the south and Las Vegas Boulevard in the east to Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area in the west.
The winner of the nonpartisan race will serve until June 2013, which is the end of what was Wolfson's term.
The election is scheduled for March 20, with early voting March 15-16.
People wishing to run for the seat can file for candidacy Tuesday or Wednesday at the new City Hall, 495 S. Main St.
Contact reporter Benjamin Spillman at bspillman@ reviewjournal.com or 702-229-6435.
