Late report may cause Ward 3 candidate woe

Last week was both good and bad for Ward 3 City Council candidate Steve Evans.

He was celebrating endorsements from the Las Vegas City Employees Association, the largest of the city worker associations, and the local carpenter's union.

But he also discovered he probably ran afoul of state law by not filing campaign finance paperwork in January.

The law states that candidates for office must file an annual report by Jan. 15 if they raised more than $100 in the previous year.

Evans held several fundraisers in 2010 and so far has raised about $40,000, said campaign manager Mark Benoit.

"Steve relied on a reading of the 2011 candidate guide that led him to believe, as a non-incumbent, that he didn't need to file a report," he said. "It was an honest oversight, apparently."

The campaign is checking with the City Clerk's office and will file a report "shortly" if it's required, Benoit said. The campaign could be fined for turning in a late report.

Former legislator Bob Coffin, one of the favorites in the race, did file his Jan. 15 report. It shows him raising $44,000 in 2010, and he's now over $60,000, he said Monday.

Another leading candidate, former state Democratic Party chair Adriana Martinez, raised $7,500 in 2010. She provided a certified mail receipt showing she mailed her report to the Nevada Secretary of State's office on Jan. 15 and that it arrived on Jan. 18, but it had not been posted online as of Monday.

Martinez has raised about $65,000 so far, according to campaign manager Elizabeth Trosper.