School board incumbent in tight race for District F; term-limited seat contests in Districts D, G

With 100 percent of the votes tallied, Clark County School Board Vice President Carolyn Edwards led all challengers with 35 percent of the vote in Tuesday's primary.

Edwards was in a tight race with architect and outspoken school district critic Ken Small, who got 31 percent of the vote.

"I'm very happy," Small said. "I know the voters are not happy with what's going on with the School Board. They want a change."

Small asked Edwards to "bow out gracefully" and give up her re-election bid for the nonpartisan leadership position for the Clark County School District. He predicts he will absorb the votes of the two other District F candidates when he faces Edwards in the November general election. District F candidate Barbara Altman got 20 percent of the vote and Michael Leslie got 14 percent.

Edwards did not immediately return a call Tuesday.

The School Board has been hurt by controversies, such as its approval of costly perks to five top district executives during an economic downturn. The district had to budget for a $145 million shortfall for the 2010-11 school year.

Edwards was the only School Board incumbent with her office at stake in Tuesday's election.

District G candidate Erin Cranor was ahead in the race to succeed term-limited board member Sheila Moulton. Lorraine Alderman, a former district administrator, was leading in the race to replace term-limited Larry Mason in District D.

Cranor, who has served on the district's zoning committee, was leading the District G race with 34 percent of the vote.

Cranor celebrated her strong showing with an ice cream party for her supporters Tuesday night.

When Cranor was campaigning, she perceived "an appetite for change" among some voters. She said people want a new "energy level" to bring changes to the district.

"It's going to take a lot of work," Cranor said.

James Brooks, a 20-year-old who graduated from Valley High School in 2008, made a surprise showing with 25 percent of the District G vote.

Following them in District G were Kamau Bakari, a self-described Tea Party activist, Jerry Mann, a retired teacher, and Martin Dean Dupalo, a political science instructor at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas.

In District D, or central Las Vegas, Alderman and Javier Trujillo, a mariachi instructor, will advance to the November election.

Alderman received 45 percent of the vote and Trujillo got 30 percent. Les Jones, a construction inspector for Clark County, followed with 25 percent.

Contact reporter James Haug at jhaug@reviewjournal.com or 702-374-7917.