Maxfield exit to bring change

Elections can be uncertain, but one thing will be as sure as a hot summer in Las Vegas: The state's most powerful political body will change.

Clark County Commissioner Chip Maxfield, an eight-year incumbent, won't seek re-election, leaving his seat open in District C.

State Assemblywoman Valerie Weber, a Republican, and Las Vegas Councilman Larry Brown, a Democrat, will be the two chief contenders vying for Maxfield's seat in the northwest valley.

Weber and Brown can file for candidacy starting Monday through May 16, as can others who want to make a run at the County Commission, state Senate and Assembly, Clark County School Board or the other various offices up for election this year.

A total of four County Commission seats will be put to a vote this fall, and three of them will have incumbents in the race.

The contest between Weber and Brown will be one to watch. Both say they will push to make government more efficient in the face of an ailing economy and a tightening budget.

"We can't be all things to all people," Brown, 50, said. "We must stand up to the citizens and say, 'Here are our priorities, and here's how they're being funded.' The days of double-digit revenue growth are over."

Weber said a key to nursing the economy back to health is to make government less cumbersome to businesses and residents.

"I'm a big advocate of user-friendly government," Weber, 53, said, whether it's placing a child in foster care or issuing a building permit.

Commissioners Tom Collins, Bruce Woodbury and Lawrence Weekly plan to seek re-election. No challengers to the three incumbents have stepped forward so far.

Maxfield, 51, said that after much agonizing he decided to move on so he could give more attention to family, including his five young-adult children.

"It was a difficult and hard thing to come to, and it took about six months," Maxfield said.

Being a commissioner is demanding for anyone who wants to make a significant impact, Maxfield said, estimating that he puts in 40 to 50 hours per week.

Maxfield, a civil engineer, said he sold his share of an engineering firm and went into consulting to make time for his commission duties. Given his background, he felt most strongly about transportation, infrastructure and water resources, and hopes he did his part to improve conditions in these areas.

Winning a commission seat would mean a step up in pay for Brown or Weber.

A new commissioner earns a base pay of $71,126 per year. Brown now makes $46,681 yearly as a councilman, and Weber receives roughly $30,000 in salary, per diem and various allowances when the Legislature meets every other year.

Brown, a councilman since 1997, will reach the end of his three-term limit in June 2009. He is a former professional baseball player who served as the director of public services for the Las Vegas Valley Water District before being elected to the City Council.

The district he would oversee as commissioner would overlap geographically with his City Council district, he said, giving him experience handling many of the same concerns and problems.

"It's the same priorities I had in the city, and I'd focus on that in the county," Brown said. "Highest on the list is public safety."

If elected commissioner, he would scrutinize every cent of the budget, work to keep the county's sprawling park system healthy and encourage residents to participate in government, including volunteer work.

The weakening economy makes any public leader's job tougher, he added.

Weber said the area isn't used to suffering this type of downturn in which casinos and other companies are cutting staff.

"Unemployment is very high, businesses are laying off, gas prices are high, people are running scared," Weber said. "We need to get the train rolling again."

One way to do that is to deliver services to businesses as efficiently as possible, perhaps by using the latest technology, she said. That would include inspecting buildings, issuing licenses and approving certificates of occupancy.

Weber said professionally she has worked as an organizational specialist, assessing and solving complex problems. That sets her apart from her opponent, she said.

In the past six months she has held 104 meetings to discuss with voters what can be done to improve services during an economic slump, she said.

Maxfield, a Republican, said he wants his successor to serve the community well, regardless of that person's party affiliation.

"I could never understand why the office is partisan," Maxfield said. "Ninety percent of the issues we deal with are nonpartisan."

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