Gillespie trounces primary competitors

What's in a name?

To those voting in Tuesday's primary for Clark County sheriff, name recognition was everything.

An overwhelming majority of voters chose incumbent Doug Gillespie.

With 100 percent of Clark County precincts reporting, Gillespie picked up a whopping 70 percent of the vote, coasting his way into the general election with a landslide victory.

Some voters said Tuesday that Gillespie's name was the only one they recognized on the ballot in the race for the county's top law enforcement officer.

"I haven't taken this lightly. I've been campaigning pretty hard," Gillespie said Tuesday evening from his campaign headquarters. "The feedback I've been getting from the community has been very positive, and it reflects positively upon the men and women of Metro.

"Hopefully, I'll carry forward this momentum into the general election and have the opportunity to do this again for the next four years."

Gillespie said his campaign will continue to focus on crime reduction and dealing with the challenges of running the Metropolitan Police Department amid economic decline and budget cuts.

He will face challenger Laurie P. Bisch, who lost in the 2006 primary, in November's general election.

Bisch, a Police Department patrol officer, came in second with 14 percent. At her campaign party Tuesday night at an Italian restaurant, Bisch acknowledged the challenges she faces in overcoming Gillespie's strong name recognition among voters.

"That's the second part of my campaign. I need to get people to rally behind me," Bisch said. "I have an obligation to prove to the community about my law enforcement experience and business experience.

"I'm very pleased. I would like to have gotten a higher percentage, but I'm happy with this and look forward to November."

Retired police Capt. Dan Barry, a 30-year veteran with the department, came in third place with 9 percent of the vote.

"I'm glad I ran," Barry said. "I got a lot of ideas out there. But I'm going to do some thinking about who to support. I need to clear my head."

Most voters leaving Cimarron-Memorial High School on Tuesday evening touted Gillespie's ability to resiliently handle the recent deaths of four officers thanks to his decades-long police career.

Voter Robert Minton, who retired from the Henderson Police Department in 1991, "stuck with Gillespie" because of his police experience.

"I feel he did a fair job. Crime is down, and cops are happy," Minton said.

Contact Kristi Jourdan at kjourdan@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0279.