Headed for runoff, Giunchigliani recalls 1991 election squeaker
By LAURA MYERS
LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL
Chris Giunchigliani said that before Tuesday’s outcome in the Las Vegas mayor’s race, her next-closest contest was in 1991, when she won a seat in the state Assembly by 123 votes.
This time, she bested Larry Brown by only 15 votes for the right to face top voter getting Carolyn Goodman in the June 7 general election run off.
What does she make of the close races?
“I earned every vote,” said Giunchigliani, who has a reputation for being tireless on the campaign trail.
Although Brown said he isn’t likely to request a recount, he’ll have more than a week to decide.
The Las Vegas City Council will canvass the election next Monday, April 11, making the results official.
A candidate then has three business days after that to request a recount _ and pay upfront for the cost.
10:18 P.M.: GIUNCHIGLIANI TWEETS SUPPORTERS TO WORK FOR RUNOFF AGAINST GOODMAN
By LAURA MYERS
LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL
Chris Giunchigliani wasted no time after learning she will face Carolyn Goodman in the Las Vegas mayor’s face.
She tweeted to her supporters that they have to get back out there and work to help her win on June 7.
“Every vote counts & it will in the general election,” Giunchigliani tweeted. “We need all constituent groups back out there walking, calling, organizing.”
“This is when the fun begins,” she added in a second tweet.
The Clark County commissioner will need a huge get-out-the-vote effort if she wants to beat Goodman in the contest to succeed her husband, the popular Mayor Oscar Goodman, a political salesman for his wife.
Goodman starts out with a big advantage, receiving 18,040 votes (37.28 percent) to Giunchigliani’s 8,395 (17.35 percent).
Giunchigliani could be helped if the man she knocked off for No. 2, fellow commissioner Larry Brown, endorses her. He suggested he might to reporters as returns flowed in Tuesday, but then he said he wanted to speak with her first on Wednesday. Brown also said he isn’t interested in asking for a recount, despite the close outcome.
“I’ll take the win,” Giunchigliani said, adding that she will make efforts to earn the endorsements of her primary opponents.
She said she planned on making the race between her and Goodman about experience versus name recognition.
“I’m running against a name and a personality,” she said of Goodman. “We will win in June,’ she said.
Brown took the loss in stride.
“If you’re in the game long enough, you learn to win with grace, and you learn to lose with grace,” he said. “Life will go on.”
Brown said his team had good campaign plan, but “outside factors” beyond his control played a big part, such as 18 people in race, including five who had good name recognition or money.
“I will let the pundits figure out where I could have gained or lost votes,” Brown said.
Goodman and Giunchigliani together won about half the total vote _ 48,392 _ in the mayor’s race. That means a lot of votes will be up for grabs in the general election, when turnout is expected to be higher as well.
Turnout was 17.77 percent, according to the Clark County Election Department.
9:58 P.M.: GIUNCHIGLIANI CALLS WIN 'HISTORY LESSON' AS SHE ADVANCE TO RUNOFF AGAINST GOODMAN
By LAURA MYERS
LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL
The Las Vegas mayoral general election runoff on June 7 will be between top voter getter Carolyn Goodman and Chris Giunchigliani, who squeaked out a 15-vote victory over Larry Brown.
“Don’t tell me this is not a history lesson ... that every vote counts,” Giunchigliani said.
With 100 percent of precincts reporting, Goodman took 37.28 percent of the vote in the race to succeed her husband, Oscar, Giunchigliani won 17.35 percent (8,395 votes) and Brown took 17.32 percent (8,380).
Victor Chaltiel, a businessman who spent more than $1 million of his own money on the race, finished fourth with 13.98 percent of the vote, out of the running but playing a potential spoiler in a race with 18 candidates.
Las Vegas City Councilman Steve Ross was an after thought with 6.31 percent of the vote.
TWO IN RUNOFF FOR NORTH LAS VEGAS MUNICIPAL COURT
By LYNNETTE CURTIS
LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL
Either Marsha Kimble-Simms or Catherine Ramsey soon will be the first female judge in North Las Vegas Municipal Court.
The two took home the most votes in Tuesday’s primary and will advance to the June 7 general election.
Four women had been competing for the Department 1 seat, from which Judge Warren VanLandschoot is retiring.
Ramsey got 37 percent of the vote, and Kimble-Simms got 35 percent. The two were separated by 131 votes.
Donishia Campbell and Laurie Diefenbach, both Clark County public defenders, each took home 14 percent of the vote.
Kimble-Simms, 50, is an attorney with her own law firm. She has said her long record of community service, including serving as president of the Foster Care and Adoption Association of Nevada, set her apart.
Kimble-Simms, a University of Detroit School of Law graduate, was licensed to practice law in Nevada in 2003. She ran unsuccessfully for Municipal Court in 2009 and for justice of the peace in 2008.
Ramsey, 46, is a North Las Vegas deputy city attorney in the criminal division. She has worked for the city since 2007. Previously, she worked in private practice and as a deputy district attorney for Clark County.
Ramsey is a graduate of Boyd Law School at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, and was licensed to practice law in Nevada in 2002.
The city’s municipal judges serve six-year terms and earn $148,438 a year.
Contact reporter Lynnette Curtis at lcurtis@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0285.
9:41 P.M.: GIUNCHIGLIANI CAPTURES RUNOFF SPOT
By LAURA MYERS
LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL
Chris Giunchigliani advanced to the Las Vegas mayor’s general election race with a 15-vote lead over Larry Brown, according to votes posted with 100 percent of precincts reporting.
She’ll face top voter getter Carolyn Goodman on June. 7.
9:36 P.M.: GIUNCHIGLIANI'S LEAD OVER BROWN NARROWS AS GOODMAN GIVES VICTORY SPEECH
By LAURA MYERS
LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL
The Las Vegas mayor’s race for the No. 2 spot on the ballot narrowed slightly with 80.34 percent of precincts reporting.
Chris Guinchigliani maintained a 30-vote lead over Larry Brown, or 17.36 percent to 17.3 percent.
Even as the battle for No. 2 continued to play out, the far away top finisher Carolyn Goodman (37.30 percent) thanked volunteers for backing her campaign to follow in the footsteps of her husband, Mayor Oscar Goodman.
“You can take my word to the bank, just like you did my husband’s,’’ Goodman said, posing for photos with her family.
She said the most important part of her campaign and the reason she decided to run was her husband, Oscar.
Goodman wants Las Vegans to feel ownership in their government, as they felt with Oscar.
“It’s our community, our town,” she said.
Oscar Goodman, ever the jokster and gin lover, added a word for his wife.
“This is the first time I’ve made a public appearance without a drink in my hand,” he quipped. “But I do have my showgirl with me,” he added, referring to his wife.
The mayor said that people say his wife is not a politician and “That’s a good thing.”
He said Carolyn was someone who wants to help Las Vegas, not a political “hack,” possibly a jab at her potential general election foes who are both Clark County commissioners. “You’ve got yourself a real tough cookie up here.”
Then he promised she wouldn’t run a negative campaign.
HAMPTON TAKES HENDERSON MUNICIPAL JUDGE RACE
By HENRY BREAN
LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL
Two months ago, Henderson Municipal Judge Diana Hampton came within an hour of winning her second six-year term unopposed.
On Tuesday, she made it official with a lopsided victory over Clark County Deputy Public Defender William M. Waters.
According to the complete but unofficial election returns, Hampton captured a little more than 71 percent of the vote to retain her seat in Department 3.
The court handles traffic and other misdemeanor criminal cases in Nevada’s second-largest city.
Reached by phone at her home Tuesday night, Hampton said she felt “good and relieved all rolled into one.”
The 45-year-old wife of a Henderson police sergeant considers the election results an endorsement of her work on the bench.
“These are obviously people who know how I make decisions in my courtroom and they approve,” she said.
Waters entered the race less than an hour before the filing deadline in early February because he thought he could do a better job than Hampton and he wanted voters to have a choice.
The 37-year-old ended up mounting a shoe-leather campaign, speaking at many of the same events and sitting for the same endorsement interviews as his opponent.
But while Hampton put up signs and sent mailers, Waters never did. His campaign expense report showed he raised $200 and spent nothing through March 24.
During that same period, Hampton reported spending more than $13,000 and raising almost $27,000.
Municipal judges in Henderson receive an annual salary of $137,867 plus benefits.
BOULDER CITY: TOBLER WITH COMFORTABLE LEAD; WOODBURY, LEAVITT LEADING
Boulder City Mayor Roger Tobler has a comfortable lead in his bid for a second term. With eight of 13 precincts reporting, the 45-year-old has garnered nearly 55 percent of the vote. Attorney and city councilwoman Linda Strickland is more than 500 votes behind with 40.91 percent of the roughly 2,200 votes cast.
Zachary Inman has received 4.31 percent of the vote.
The five candidates seeking two open seats on the Boulder City Council are a bit closer, with Rod Woodbury leading all with 32.16 percent of the vote, followed closely by Peggy Leavitt with 29.04 percent.
The next two candidates, Rose Ann Rabiola Miele and Lynn Goya, are close with 15.72 and 14.16 percent, respectively. Linda Graham has earned 8.93 percent of the vote.
9:09 P.M.: GIUNCHIGLIANI'S LEAD OVER BROWN SLIPS TO 34 VOTES
By LAURA MYERS
LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL
The Las Vegas race for No. 2 remained tight with 75.56 percent of precincts reporting and Chris Giunchigliani maintaining a 34-vote lead over Larry Brown.
That put Giunchigliani at 17.35 percent (8,032 vote) and Brown at 17.27 percent (7,998 votes.)
Carolyn Goodman had 37.34 percent of the total and was assured a spot in the June 7 general election runoff.
As returns showed Goodman’s percentage dropping, she said it seemed unlikely she would claim the mayor job on Tuesday, but she was pleased by her showing.
"With 18 candidates I think it’s a miracle how well we’ve done,” she said.
Goodman said she didn’t have a preference on who she’d like to face in the general election, although observers believe the race would be more combative if she faced Giunchigliani instead of Brown because of the women’s history.
“I’ve been with Oscar for 12 years, I know the players,” Goodman said, sounding confident she would win the job. “I think it will be a simple transition.”
Oscar Goodman said not to expect any negative campaigning from the Goodman camp, no matter who she faces.
“I never mentioned an opponent’s name, and neither will she,” he said. “It’s gonna be clean.”
8:55 P.M.: NORTH LAS VEGAS COUNCILMAN FACES RUNOFF
By LAURA MYERS
LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL
In the North Las Vegas City Council Ward 4 race, incumbent Councilman Richard Cherchio will advance to the general election, where he will face dentist Wade Wagner in a runoff.
Cherchio was finishing behind Wagner, 43.05 percent to 47.7 percent, according to returns with 81 percent of precincts reporting.
The incumbent would have had to get at least 50 percent of the vote to win outright.
The city’s public safety unions have been campaigning against Cherchio, who voted in favor of laying off corrections officers.
8:39 P.M.: GIUNCHIGLIANI HAS SLIGHT LEAD OVER BROWN FOR NO. 2 LAS VEGAS MAYORAL SPOT
By LAURA MYERS
LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL
Las Vegas mayoral candidates Chris Giunchigliani barely led Larry Brown by 170 votes with 45 percent of the precincts reporting, including fresh returns.
The two candidates, who are both Clark County Commissioners, are trying to come in second place to stay alive in the race.
Carolyn Goodman, wife of the current mayor, is well ahead so far with 38.48 percent.
Giunchigliani had 17.7 percent of the vote to Brown’s 17.23 percent.
If no candidate achieves a majority, the top two finishers compete head-to-head in the June 7 general election.
At Larry Brown’s election party, about 20 close friends and family gathered around the bar in nervous anticipation.
As early results came in, Brown stole a glance at a television screen as numbers revealed he was neck and neck with Chris Giunchigliani for second place, a long way behind Goodman.
“The best thing about 7 p.m. on election night is there’s nothing more you can do about it,” said Brown, relaxed.
Brown said the fun will began after the primary election, when Goodman will be challenged one on one.
“It’s a lot easier to compete against one person than 18,” Brown said, referring to the wide field of candidates.
Brown said he expected the results, as most polls had him and Giunchigliani close and Goodman with a comfortable lead.
“It should come down to the wire,” Brown said.
Brown said he felt very relaxed. If he makes it through the primary, that’s when he will worry about the next stage, he said.
“This isn’t my first rodeo,” he said.
8:19 P.M.: INCUMBENTS LEAD IN HENDERSON; BOULDER CITY MAYOR'S RACE CLOSE
By LAURA MYERS
LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL
In the Henderson City Council races, incumbents Gerri Schroder and Debra March looked destined to win outright, according to early vote totals. So did incumbent Henderson Municipal Judge Diana Hampton in Department 3.
Meanwhile, Boulder City Mayor Roger Tobler and Linda Strickland, his chief nemesis on the city council, appear headed for a face-off the June 7 general election, if early voting and mail-in ballot totals hold firm.
According to the Boulder City Clerk’s office, Tobler gathered 1,707 votes to Strickland’s 1,254. Longtime Boulder City handyman Zach Inman came in a distant third with 131 votes.
Five candidates were seeking two open seats on the Boulder City Council. Rod Woodbury, son of longtime lawmaker Bruce Woodbury, was the top vote-getter in early voting and mail-ins with 1,919 votes; followed by Peggy Leavitt with 1,715. The totals drop off from there with Rose Ann Rabiola Miele garnering 889 votes followed by Lynn Goya with 749 votes and Linda Graham with 527.
In the crowded open race for Las Vegas Municipal Court Department 2, two people with well-respected names in the legal community were far and away the top vote getters in early voting and mail-in ballots. Susan Roger, the wife of Clark County District Attorney David Roger, received 8,573 votes (39.11 percent) to 6,505 (29.68 percent) votes for Sonny Bonaventure, the son of retired District Judge Joe Bonaventure and brother of current Justice of the Peace Joe Bonaventure.
George Trachtman, Robert Kurth, Colby Beck and Marco Angioni followed at a distance.
In Department 3, George Assad is showing no ill effects from dismal ratings in the 2010 judicial evaluation surveys conducted by the Review-Journal, or the fact that his son, Anthony Carleo, stands accused as the $1.5 million Bellagio robbery defendant.
The race is otherwise tight with Heidi Almase taking 19.61 percent of early voting to Assad’s 27.84 percent, followed by Anthony Goldstein, 15.41; Chris Davis, 14.81 percent; Nicholas Perrino, 13.18 percent and Dayvid Figler, 9.16 percent.
Department 5 is home to arguably the most surprising early voting results. Popular incumbent Cedric Kerns was neck and neck with perennial candidate Bruce Gale, 50.39 percent to 49.61 percent.
8:07 P.M.: CAROLYN GOODMAN OPTIMISTIC ABOUT LAS VEGAS MAYOR'S RACE
By LAURA MYERS
LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL
Carolyn Goodman seemed to be feeling fairly confident that she might get enough votes to win the Las Vegas mayor's race outright.
“I think there’s a possibility it might be 50 percent plus one,” she told 8NewsNow in an interview, yet added she’s not predicting victory yet. “I’m comfy running on and moving on until June.”
Standing next to her husband, Mayor Oscar Goodman, who couldn’t run for another term, Carolyn Goodman repeated that she wants to continue what he started, including downtown development.
“I’m more passionate than ever this has to continue as he envisioned it,” she said.
Asked about critics who don’t like dynasties, Goodman joked that she has six grandchildren who might run one day.
“Why stop with Carolyn?” she asked.
Chaltiel expressed happiness with his early vote performance.
“Remember, I started at zero five weeks ago,” he told a Review-Journal reporter.
7:55 P.M.: WARD 3 IS ONLY CLOSE LAS VEGAS CITY COUNCIL RACE
By LAURA MYERS
LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL
In the Las Vegas City Council races, the incumbents in wards 1 and 5 appear headed for outright victory.
Ward 1 Councilwoman Lois Tarkanian was pulling nearly 74 percent in early and absentee voting.
Ward 5 Councilman Ricki Barlow had 73.55 percent of the early vote.
The open Ward 3 race was tight and appeared headed to a run-off between the two strongest Hispanic candidates.
Adriana Martinez had 36.17 percent of the early vote compared to 34.81 percent for former state Sen. Bob Coffin.
Early and absentee voting turnout was about 10 percent, or a total of 44,431.
Clark County election officials predicted total turnout of 18 percent to 20 percent once all votes were counted.
7:37 P.M.: CAROLYN GOODMAN HAS BIG EARLY LEAD IN LAS VEGAS MAYOR'S RACE
By LAURA MYERS
LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL
Carolyn Goodman had a strong lead of 40.5 percent of the early and absentee ballots in the race for Las Vegas mayor, according to the Clark County Election Department.
The race was tight for the No. 2 slot, which guarantees a place on the June 7 general election ballot if the No. 1 winner doesn’t get at least 50 percent of the vote.
Clark County Commissioner Larry Brown had 17.57 percent of the vote compared to 16.98 percent for Clark County Commissioner Chris Giunchigliani, according to the early returns.
That means whoever got their voters to the polls today will likely emerge the winner.
Businessman Victor Chaltiel was doing well with 12.20 percent of the vote.
Far behind was Las Vegas City Councilman Steve Ross at 5.88 percent.
7:29 P.M.: TWITTER TRAFFIC BUSY IN LAS VEGAS MAYOR'S RACE
By LAURA MYERS
LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL
Before the polls closed, Twitter traffic was lively in the Las Vegas mayor’s race.
A photo was posted of Carolyn Goodman shaking hands with food vendors at her campaign headquarters watch party.
And a volunteer tweeted a picture of Clark County Commissioner Chris Giunchigliani making last-minute telephone calls to get out the vote. On Twitter, she thanked a volunteer who said he just drove two voters to the polls.
“My tank is now almost empty, lol!” the volunteer tweeted.
Victor Chaltiel, a businessman, urged people to vote during the final 10 minutes. The Tunisian-born French speaker tweeted with an accent.
“Hurry & get VOTE for #LVMayor! Vote for Victor!!” his tweet said.
Clark County Commissioner Larry Brown’s Twitter account was silent.
7:09 P.M.: POLLS CLOSE FOR MUNICIPAL ELECTIONS
LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL
The polls have closed for today’s municipal elections in Las Vegas, Henderson, North Las Vegas, Boulder City and Mesquite.
The most-watched campaign in the valley is the Las Vegas mayor’s race. Carolyn Goodman leads a field of 18 candidates to take over for her husband, Oscar Goodman.
Atop the rest of the field are Clark County Commissioners Larry Brown and Chris Giunchigliani, and venture capitalist Victor Chaltiel.
A second-place finish will probably earn a place in a runoff against Carolyn Goodman. She would need more than half the vote total to avoid a runoff and win outright.
3:36 P.M.: VOTER TURNOUT IN VALLEY LOOKING LOWER THAN EXPECTED
By BRIAN HAYNES
LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL
Clark County Registrar of Voters Larry Lomax had predicted low turnout for today's municipal primary elections, but a lack of voters this morning threatened to submarine even his low-ball prediction.
"It's certainly slow," Lomax said. "You see them dribble in in onesies and twosies, but that's about it."
Turnout was highest in Las Vegas, where the race to succeed term-limited Mayor Oscar Goodman has been the most high-profile campaign in Southern Nevada. As of 10:30 a.m., 5,088 people had cast votes.
Most observers expect Goodman's wife, Carolyn Goodman, to top the list of 18 mayoral hopefuls. The rest will be fighting for second place and a spot in the likely run off in the general election if Goodman doesn't win a majority of votes.
Clark County Commissioners Larry Brown and Chris Giunchigliani and businessman Victor Chaltiel appear to be the front-runners in the battle for second place.
The commissioners planned to pick up the campaign trail after the commission meeting ends this afternoon.
Meanwhile, Chaltiel made rounds at polling places this morning, hoping to win last-minute votes. The businessman has used $1.3 million of his own money to help fuel his rise from political obscurity to contender.
"It's not the best name or the best looks or the best hair," he said at his campaign headquarters in between polling place visits. "It should be the guy who can get things done."
In other cities, voting has been even slower than in Las Vegas.
Henderson tallied 1,098 voters, while North Las Vegas had only 575, Lomax said.
He said there were no reported no problems with polling places.
"Everything opened on time," Lomax said. "We just need more voters."
Contact reporter Brian Haynes at bhaynes@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0281.
