Political veterans wrangle

Two seasoned politicians are locked in a tense matchup for a seat on the Clark County Commission.

The contest pits Las Vegas Councilman Larry Brown, a Democrat, against Valerie Weber, a Republican and three-term assemblywoman.

Both want to replace Commissioner Chip Maxfield, a Republican, who chose not to seek another term after serving eight years in District C.

Both describe themselves as fiscal conservatives with a passion for serving residents in the northwest area. But animosity has crept in.

Weber said Brown, a former professional baseball player, won his last two terms as a councilman through the equivalent of forfeited games. No one ran against him in those two elections, she said, arguing that he resents facing an actual opponent in the commission race.

"He does not like competition," Weber said. "He thought he should be the heir apparent."

Brown, 51, said he is proud of his 11-year tenure as a councilman and believes his record shows that he outshines his rival.

He helped shape a yearly budget that reduced property taxes in Las Vegas, he said, and pushed to create a park system that is a model for the state. He also has chaired or sat on regional panels, including for transportation, flood control and water, he said.

"Most importantly, I've been a resident of the northwest for more than two decades," Brown said.

Weber, 53, argued that the main difference between them is that she's about progressive thinking, and he's about the status quo.

If Brown wins, she said, he will merely roll his chair from City Hall to the county Government Center's sixth floor.

"That's the only change you'll see," Weber said. "He'll change locations."

Both candidates say the commission must look at how to cut labor costs in the economic downturn.

Brown said reducing county staff can save as much money in the long run as crimping pay raises.

When a city employee leaves, the supervisors must justify to a committee why the vacancy should be filled instead of eliminated, Brown said.

The county, he said, could form a similar committee.

"It (hiring) is no longer an entitlement," Brown said.

He said he didn't know whether the average wage increase for county employees was too high. The raise combines cost-of-living and merit increases. Raises were at 8 percent last year and now hover at 6 percent, according to county officials.

"Putting a number on it is irrelevant until you get into a (labor) negotiation," Brown said.

Both the Service Employees Service International union, which covers county workers, and the Police Protective Association endorsed Brown. He insists he feels no obligation toward them and will deal with them impartially.

A study should be done to see how county employees, such as engineers, are paid compared to those at private firms, Brown said. Then you have a tangible tool for bargaining with the union, he said.

If union leaders refuse to budge on pay raises, he said, then the county might have to lay off workers.

Weber said that while private-sector jobs dwindle amid a 7.3 percent unemployment rate, the government's payroll is growing.

Las Vegas police employ roughly 6,000 people and county government has nearly 8,000 workers, with the average wage at about $26 an hour, Weber said. "It's not sustainable."

She talked of how her hometown of Vallejo, Calif., filed for bankruptcy, mostly under the weight of labor costs. She called it a cautionary tale.

"It doesn't make us exempt," Weber said.

Like her opponent, Weber said she would have a clearer idea about how to cap pay raises by the next round of bargaining. "Can I land on a number at this stage?" Weber asked. "I don't think anyone can."

Brown said he has run a positive campaign that promotes his qualifications and successes, whereas Weber chooses to thrash him.

"The vast majority (of Weber's ads) have been negative," Brown said.

One flier states that he approved giving a strip club owner $50,000 of public money as part of a downtown beautification project, he said.

Brown contends the owner applied for money in a redevelopment fund that he and other downtown businesses have paid into for years.

The strip club is a licensed business, so to deny the owner's application would've been grounds for a lawsuit, Brown said. Given Weber's time in the Assembly, she should know how the program works, he said.

"For her not to do the research, what do you say to that?" Brown said. "It's negative campaigning. It's political season."

Weber, however, said Brown was being overly sensitive.

"He does not like his record pointed out," she said.

She said she criticizes his decisions as a public leader, but never attacks him personally. The same cannot be said for Brown, she added.

Weber was referring to a debate in which she apparently annoyed Brown by asking why he was unable to recruit a professional sports team.

Afterward, Brown told the Las Vegas Sun it was a goofball question and that he wanted to tell her she was an idiot.

"I thought it was demeaning to me as an elected official and a candidate and a woman," Weber said, suggesting sexism on Brown's part. "If you want to attack issues, that's one thing. To give a personal insult like that is over the top."

Brown denies being sexist. He insists he was deriding what he thought was a flawed and ill-informed question, not Weber herself.

"It was never about her as a person," Brown said. "I have too much respect for her and any candidate in the races."

Brown also finds himself at odds with a one-time ally: the Culinary union.

The union has mailed fliers mocking Brown's reputation as a fiscal watchdog. In fact, Weber said she borrowed some of the union's barbs for her mailers.

One flier rips Brown for voting with other council members to sell city land at a steep discount to developer CIM Group, which aims to renovate the vacant Lady Luck casino.

Estimates of the discount range from $12 million below the land's assessed value to $35 million less than the market value. In return, the developer agreed to spend $100 million on renovations and create 700 jobs.

Union leaders accused the city of giving CIM a sweetheart deal and singled out Brown because he's running for county commissioner.

"Taxpayers are subsidizing a for-profit casino company," said Pilar Weiss, spokeswoman for Culinary Local 226. "Larry Brown, who paints himself as a fiscal watchdog, supports this subsidy."

The union, Weiss said, hasn't endorsed Brown since 1997, the last time he ran in a contested city-council race.

Brown said he stands by his vote. The return the city will get in new jobs and an upgraded downtown is worth the investment, he said.

As a commissioner, he would foster partnerships between businesses and government, similar to one he spearheaded between YMCA and the city's parks department that saved millions in taxes, Brown said.

Weber said she wants to speed the review process for business licenses and permits, with the goal of cutting the time in half. The county also should establish enterprise zones that give companies tax breaks in return for creating decent-paying jobs, she said.

And she'd like to reduce landing fees at McCarran International Airport to encourage airlines to fly more tourists to the county, she said.

Both candidates say they want responsible growth. Both think the master plan should be followed, but that sometimes the best solution is a compromise between developers and neighbors.

"I would hope to work with both sides and evaluate it on a case-by-case basis," Weber said.

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