CLARK COUNTY COMMISSION B

A seasoned incumbent is going toe-to-toe with a political novice who has launched a combative campaign for the Clark County Commission's District B seat.

Gary Hosea, 55, a Republican who has never run for political office before, said he has a host of ideas to improve county government and take it in a different direction. The first step, he argues, is getting rid of Democratic incumbent Tom Collins.

Collins has a stale, recycled platform and a dismissive attitude toward voters, Hosea argued.

"He's running on the same campaign he ran on in 2002 and giving the same answers, which is nothing," Hosea said. "He's not given the people who voted for him any voice. He's all about himself and special interests."

Collins, however, expressed no ill-will toward Hosea, saying his rival always acts polite when the two of them speak.

Collins, 58, who is vying for a second four-year term, describes himself as constantly working to enhance the district for his constituents.

He said he has lobbied for funds to improve roads, added an area detention center so inmates stay locked up and pushed to create more parks.

"I'm out in the community as much as I can be to make sure things get done," Collins said. "I'm out there taking care of the potholes."

Collins has billed himself as a Democrat who belongs to the National Rifle Association. He is an avid supporter of a 2,900-acre shooting park -- a project that has riled some neighbors who live near the site.

Collins insists most residents back the park, and he cites research that estimates almost half of county residents own firearms.

Hosea, who has a master's degree in business management, said his gripe isn't just with Collins but with the way all county leaders run the government.

"I don't like a lot of what's going on with lack of accountability and inefficiency," Hosea said.

Hosea said that, if elected, he would retire from his county development services job and work full time as a commissioner. With a county of 2 million people, he said, "this is a 24/7 job."

Hosea criticized the commission for funneling more than $90 million in two years to bail out the financially strapped University Medical Center. That money could be used to build a new Triple-A baseball stadium or improve the area's public transit system, he said.

Hosea accused Collins of being arrogant and ill-tempered with people.

"Except to me," Hosea said. "He's very nice."

Collins said he was raised in a rugged place and time when men settled feuds with their fists. He outgrew the fist-fighting, but his scrappy temperament flares when someone is wasting time or money, or being petty, he said.

"I'm not ashamed to speak loud enough to make sure somebody hears me," Collins said.

He said he receives accolades from Republicans and Democrats alike.

"I work for all the people," Collins said. "The support I've gotten is all bipartisan."

Libertarian candidate Debra Payne-Dedmon could not be reached for comment.

Contact reporter Scott Wyland at swyland@reviewjournal.com or 702-455-4519.