Pair lead Ward 4 donations

Two candidates have emerged as clear fundraising leaders in the contest for the Ward 4 Las Vegas City Council seat, far outpacing their nearest competitors with six-figure campaign war chests.

Stavros Anthony and Glenn Trowbridge have been campaigning and raising money since last year. Anthony has amassed just over $205,000, and Trowbridge garnered just under $123,000, according to records filed with the city.

Anthony's total includes $71,000 transferred from his university regent campaign fund, and Trowbridge's includes $20,000 of his own money.

As of March 26, Anthony was outspending Trowbridge by an almost two-to-one margin. His campaign reported $172,618 in expenses, compared to Trowbridge's $95,356.

The other candidates in the six-way race didn't come close.

Yvonne Karim had $5,724 in contributions and has spent almost all of it. Teresa Price raised $4,400 and spent all but $1,000, and Gary Hosea listed zero contributions and $434 in expenses.

The remaining candidate, Sam Christos, did not have a report on file with the Las Vegas city clerk.

It's been a tough year for fundraising, Trowbridge said.

"It's just reflective of today's economy," he said. "The primary donors in the past were the developers and the casinos, and those guys are having some hard times. They're giving much less and they're being a lot more selective."

Both Trowbridge and Anthony got $2,500 from Associated General Contractors, $5,000 from Boyd Gaming, $5,000 from Republic Services and $10,000 from the Greater Las Vegas Association of Realtors.

Anthony's other large contributors included American Pacific, a chemical and aerospace company headquartered here, and Advocates for Quality of Life PAC, a property rights committee affiliated with the Realtors association.

Trowbridge counted several unions among his donors, including firefighters in Las Vegas and North Las Vegas, the Southwest Regional Council of Carpenters and the Las Vegas City Employees Association, which represents the largest group of city workers.

Early voting for the municipal primaries ends Friday. The primary election is Tuesday.

There has been less spending in city races this year than in the past.

In 2005, when Councilman Steve Wolfson and former Councilman Larry Brown ran unopposed, Wolfson raised $224,450, and Brown raised $427,000.

Steve Ross, who is running for re-election in Ward 6, raised more than $537,000 in 2005 during an 11-person contest. That's almost as much as the combined total for the four leading fundraisers this year in Las Vegas Council races.

This year, with one opponent, Ross picked up $166,775 from Jan. 1 to March 26.

Wolfson, who again is unopposed for re-election in Ward 2 this year, reported raising $97,999 so far.

The reports are available at the city of Las Vegas Web site -- www.lasvegasnevada.gov -- under the Elections tab.

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