More tumult erupts during Ward 3 debate

The rancor in Las Vegas' Ward 3 City Council race continued Friday when a candidate forum concluded with supporters of the two rival candidates shouting slogans at each other and waving signs, even though there were no media cameras there for them to play to.

Adriana Martinez's supporters yelled "Give it back! Give it back!" at her opponent, Bob Coffin, a reference to money he received in a 1997 sale of historical documents to the University of Nevada, Las Vegas' library. Her campaign packed the patio of the Arts Factory, where the debate was held, with at least 30 of her supporters, many of whom came prepared with signs criticizing the document deal.

Coffin's supporters responded with shouts of "You don't live in Ward 3!" A challenge to Martinez's residency status is gathering dust in the Nevada Supreme Court.

The tumult is becoming routine in this race, as Martinez continues to try to find fault with Coffin's state legislative record and Coffin continues to call attention to the challenge to Martinez's ability to even run for the office.

The documents were the records of the Union Pacific Railroad detailing the company's history in Las Vegas -- letters, blueprints, finances. Coffin, who is a rare book dealer, came across them in 1989 when they were going to be thrown out.

He eventually sold them to the university in 1997 for $330,000. He said the money came from private donations to a fund set up to acquire the records, which are now in the university's special collections department. He was a state senator at the time and could not do business with the state.

Martinez, however, tried to draw a line between that expenditure and the state's current fiscal problems. Proposals before the state include cutting jobs and degree programs at the university.

"It just smells. It reeks," Martinez said, telling Coffin he should have donated the items. "I think you should give that $330,000 back."

The documents did, indeed, reek when he obtained them, Coffin said. He spent an estimated $50,000 to $80,000 restoring the mold and water damage. The collection was valued at $600,000, he said, and could have been worth more than $1 million if he had been willing to break it up and sell it in pieces, he said.

Contact Alan Choate at achoate@reviewjournal.com or 702-229-6435.