Challenger races against time in Ward 6 special election

Byron Goynes answers quickly when asked whether he learned anything losing elections that will help him win a long-shot challenge of Las Vegas City Council incumbent Steve Ross.

"I'm going to walk twice as much," Goynes says.

He's going to have to walk fast.

Election Day is Jan. 31 and Goynes didn't even file his candidate petition until Jan. 11, leaving him just 20 days to campaign against a well-connected incumbent.

The tight schedule isn't the only oddity of the Ward 6 campaign. The fact it is occurring at all is unusual.

Ross is in the midst of his second term on the council yet finds himself on the ballot as the result of a recall effort funded largely by car dealer Joe Scala, who is in a feud with the councilman.

It was organized by the Committee to Recall Steve Ross, which gathered 1,105 signatures for a recall petition that was certified Dec. 21.

The recall provided an opening for Goynes, a longtime city planning commissioner who has unsuccessfully campaigned for everything from NAACP chapter president to Clark County clerk to City Council.

Goynes is also from a political family. His father, Theron Goynes, was a longtime North Las Vegas city councilman and his sister, Pamela Goynes-Brown, is on that City Council.

"It was an opportunity so I thought I would take advantage of it," said Goynes, who was considering running against Ross in 2013 when his term is scheduled to expire.

GOYNES OPTIMISTIC

Goynes thinks he can push the incumbent out sooner, though, in large part because of a series of controversies that have dogged Ross while in office, including the dispute with Scala.

Between the people who signed the recall petition and his nominating petition, Goynes thinks he can put together a bloc of voters large enough to outnumber Ross supporters.

Although there are more than 49,000 registered voters in Ward 6, Ross defeated Jennifer Taylor 2,375 to 1,958 in 2009. And turnout for the upcoming election could be even less, which lowers the bar for Goynes.

"The turnout, it could be abysmal," said Goynes' campaign manager Steve Forsythe. "Those people who voted in 2009 are in our target audience right now; we are going after those folks."

Goynes plans to sell voters on his experience as a planning commissioner and contrast himself with Ross by highlighting key votes by the incumbent and other controversies.

The votes include a decision by Ross to support a liquor license for Molly's Tavern at 6430 Sky Pointe Drive.

Neighbors complained the location is too close to a YMCA, a library and a park.

Ross has defended the decision, saying the owners held a neighborhood meeting to alert residents and no opposition emerged.

Goynes, who as a planning commissioner opposed the location, said it was inappropriate.

"I just don't think it fits that land use over there," Goynes said when he voted on the issue.

Goynes also disagrees with Ross on the dispute with Scala, who sought Ross' support for a waiver from restrictions that prevent car dealers from selling in the Centennial Hills Auto Mall without a franchise agreement with a manu­facturer.

Scala sought the waiver in 2010 but was denied after failing to get support from other dealers. He was forced to close his dealership as a result, laying off about 30 people in the process.

Scala subsequently spent more than $50,000 on the recall effort and produced anti-Ross television ads. The ads landed Scala in trouble with the attorney general because he didn't report them as campaign expenditures.

That case is still pending. Scala did not respond to a request for an interview.

Goynes said he would have supported the waiver.

"Is it really going to hurt Ward 6 to have that car dealership open and selling cars?" he said.

Ross said Scala and his supporters are distorting the truth and that he did support an 18-month waiver for the entire auto mall that was granted in 2008.

Scala wanted a subsequent waiver, which Ross said he was open to if the other dealers in the mall supported it.

But Scala didn't get support from the others and instead accused Ross of opposing the request because it didn't come with a campaign contribution.

"(Scala) wanted a sweetheart deal and I wouldn't give it to him," Ross said.

OTHER ROSS CONTROVERSIES

Goynes is also highlighting other Ross controversies.

His first mailer, which went out Thursday, attacked Ross for a 2008 ruling by the state Ethics Commission stating the councilman violated ethics rules by casting votes related to a City Hall construction project while also serving as secretary-treasurer of the Southern Nevada Building Trades Council.

"Put an end to the conflicts of interest, the questionable conduct, the non-disclosures and the distortions," the mailer states.

Ross said voters have already sent him back to the council since the ethics violations, which were ruled to be non-willful, and that the accusations from Goynes are merely a cover for Scala's desire for revenge.

"It has nothing to do with ethics, it has nothing to do with campaign contributions. Those are all the lies to get people to sign the petition," Ross said. "This is a personal vendetta. You can certainly see Byron Goynes as Joe Scala's candidate."

ROSS TOUTS RECORD

In addition to highlighting Scala's role in the recall drive, Ross is touting his own record on the council.

His first round of mailers pointed out an ordinance he sponsored that requires banks to list vacant, distressed properties on a city registry and keep them in good repair, or face fines and possible jail time.

The ordinance is in response to complaints about blight in neighborhoods hit hard by foreclosure.

Critics have said the new rules might not hold up in court because they require banks to take action on properties before the foreclosure process is complete.

But Ross defends it and says it has already prompted action.

"The banks are at the table now talking to the city," Ross said. "Before, we had nothing."

Ross also claims credit for helping to spark the return of Sportsman's Warehouse to northwest Las Vegas.

The Utah-based retailer had closed its big box location in Las Vegas in 2008 but was persuaded to return last year by Ross and others who told the company the economy was improving.

Ross also led an effort to get city staff to close a tunnel under Interstate 15 that became the target of safety concerns after teenager Alyssa Otremba was attacked and killed nearby. Javier Righetti, 19, confessed to the crime.

Ross said the foreclosure ordinance, the return of Sportsman's Warehouse and the closure of the tunnels show he is working on behalf of residents.

Ross also has the support of former Mayor Oscar Goodman and current Mayor Carolyn Goodman, both popular public figures who could help his cause.

"I've accomplished a whole lot of things out there and I don't plan on stopping anytime soon," Ross said. "There is no one who is going to work harder than me in Ward 6."

Even with the controversies Ross is a likely favorite to beat Goynes, said Ronni Council, a political consultant who lives in Ward 6.

She said Ross, due to his two previous campaigns, is more likely to have a base of voters on whom he can rely.

"Obviously Steve Ross has a large group of (identified) voters," Council said. "What I would have done is matched those (identified) voters up to the ones who signed his recall petition. If none of those match up or very few, he is in a really good position."

If Ross does win he will be a stronger candidate for re-election next year, Council said, meaning the recall effort will have backfired.

"I think it strengthens him for 2013," she said. "He is continually campaigning."

Contact reporter Benjamin Spillman at bspillman@reviewjournal.com or 702-229-6435.