Five in North Las Vegas mayor’s race face budget limitations

Three North Las Vegas City Council members, a former planning commissioner and a street preacher each want to be the city's next mayor.

Council members Shari Buck, William Robinson and Stephanie Smith are vying for term-limited Mayor Michael Montandon's job with past Planning Commissioner Ned Thomas and the race's most colorful candidate, John 3:16 Cook, who promises to "marry, bury & baptize all."

Whoever wins the nonpartisan post will take the mayoral reins at a difficult time for North Las Vegas, the fourth most populous city in Nevada, with about 217,000 people.

The city, which has seen declining revenues and frozen hiring, recently announced cuts of $14.4 million from its general fund and nearly $2 million from its utility fund for the 2008-09 budget. It also plans to trim about $23 million from its 2009-10 budget.

Buck, 48, in the middle of her third term on the council, said the city is "actually doing OK" because it has been frugal.

The city has postponed some noncritical projects to save money, including a fire station for the 15,000-home Park Highlands community, she said. Construction in the community has slowed.

But plans for a $135 million City Hall, expected to be completed in 2011, should not be stalled as some have suggested, she said.

"We've already bonded for it," Buck said. "We've saved and planned for years."

The city is in discussion with employees about possibly ratifying contracts or coming up with other ways to save, she said, adding, "It will be a partnership and a team effort."

Buck also said she has "an absolute, specific plan" on how to bring more businesses and jobs to the city, including simplifying business license applications and offering delayed fee payments.

John 3:16 Cook, known for once operating a homeless shelter on Bonanza Road and several failed bids for political offices, might not be the most viable candidate. Still, he insists he will be mayor and "take North Las Vegas from the guttermost to the uttermost."

"I'm going to clean the place up," the 76-year-old said. "It's going to be my last hurrah."

The fact that most of his plans are beyond the mayor's scope doesn't seem to bother him.

Cook wants to raise revenues by taxing churches and legalizing and taxing marijuana.

He also wants "lots of layoffs" at the city.

"We got a bunch of bureaucratic jobs up there," he said.

Among his other goals, Cook wants to stop illegal immigration and get rid of methamphetamine dealers.

"I want to make North Las Vegas a showplace," he said.

Robinson, the city's 69-year-old mayor pro tem, has been on the City Council since 1983. He is prohibited from running for an eighth term because of term limits adopted by the city in the late 1990s.

Robinson said a good way to save money is to cut city administrative salaries, which he thinks are too high.

"We need to get rid of some of that pork at the top, cut from the top down," he said.

The councilman didn't "much feel like talking to the media, the way they've been treating me," he said.

Robinson's name surfaced last month during a trial in District Court. A Clark County prosecutor said Robinson had been accused of accepting an inappropriate $500 gift from a former strip club owner.

The Las Vegas Review-Journal did not find independent evidence that Robinson took any such gift.

Robinson called the accusation a lie.

"I've had 26 years of public service and never a blemish since I've been here," he said.

Robinson and Smith have faced criticism over their involvement with the troubled North Las Vegas Housing Authority. Both serve on the agency's board.

Buck, who has voiced some of that criticism, does not sit on the housing authority board.

The authority has faced myriad problems in recent years including substandard conditions at a public housing complex and failing to use millions of dollars in public money to house needy people.

Robinson, Smith and others blamed shrinking federal funding for the housing authority problems.

Like Buck, Smith said the city has done a good job dealing with decreased revenues by postponing some projects and talking to employees about cost-saving measures.

Smith, too, wants to bring more businesses and jobs to town by expediting business license applications and "staggering some of the landscaping" and other requirements for new businesses.

"We need to make ourselves really business friendly."

But it's too soon to talk about what the city will do if the economy continues to tank, Smith said.

"These are unchartered territories as far as the economy goes. It will take careful study and reflection."

Smith, 51, is at the end of her third council term. She also is an orchestra teacher for Saville Middle School.

Thomas, 43, a former North Las Vegas planning commissioner who works as an urban planner for the city of Henderson, said if elected he would form a committee of financial experts to come up with recommendations to help the budget. Any discussions would be "open, transparent and interactive."

"There should be accountability and open communication," Thomas said.

He also would encourage city workers to come up with their own cost-saving suggestions, and would create an online blog where employees could post ideas.

"They are working in the trenches. They know where costs can be trimmed."

Nothing, including potential salary cuts, would be off the table, Thomas said.

"Everybody is going to be asked to give a little bit. We all need to realize we all rise together or fall together."

Buck, Robinson and Smith filed contributions and expense reports for funds raised toward their mayoral campaigns last year. Buck raised the most, with $150,000 reported. Robinson raised $127,300 and Smith $71,000.

The municipal primary election will be April 7 and the general election June 2.

Early voting will begin Wednesday in North Las Vegas and run through April 3. For hours and locations, visit www.cityofnorthlasvegas.com and click on "elections."

Review-Journal reporter David Kihara contributed to this report. Contact reporter Lynnette Curtis at lcurtis @reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0285.