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Posted 11 Jun 2001   For week ended June 08, 2001
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Sent on Mormon-News: 10Jun01

By Kent Larsen

Mormon Candidate Wins North Las Vegas City Council Seat

NORTH LAS VEGAS, NEVADA -- LDS Church member Robert Eliason was elected Tuesday to one of four seats on the North Las Vegas City Council, ending a campaign filled with criminal allegations against his opponent, John Rhodes, and charges of racism and "negative" campaigning against Eliason. But some city officials expect the elections to end years of infighting on the council, "It's going to be great," said City Councilwoman Shari Buck, also an LDS Church member. "Now we can focus on moving ahead and putting the past in the past."

Eliason won the election with 4,528 votes, just over 61% of those cast and nearly 2,000 more than his opponent. Nearly 20% of the city's registered electorate of 37,635 turned out to vote.

Rhodes has been under fire since an October 11th story in the Las Vegas Sun indicated that he had been reimbursed by the city for purchasing a palm pilot, which he then later included on an insurance claim. The incident has led to three felony charges of insurance fraud against Rhodes.

Eliason at first promised that he would not bring up the legal charges during the campaign, but after neither man secured a majority in an April primary, he started mentioning the charges in his campaign, printing headlines from the Sun on some of his campaign literature. This led Rhodes supporters to complain about negative campaigning, favoritism towards Mormons, because Eliason's election puts 3 Mormons on the council, and racism, because Rhodes is black.

Rhodes supporter Rev. Gary Hunter, discounted the charges, "All of us have faults, skeletons in our closets," Hunter said. "What's to say (Eliason) doesn't have trunks of skeletons in his? John has served his community well." Hunter characterizes the use of the charges against Rhodes as blatant racism by those who want a white candidate in office.

After Rhodes conceded the election Tuesday night, the mayor and other city council members, who hadn't taken a position in the election, came to Eliason's victory celebration to congratulate him, "Robert is the kind of person who's not going to be wheeling and dealing," said councilman William Robinson, who is also black. "He is what this city needs."

In addition to Eliason, council members Shari Buck and Stephanie Smith are Mormon, as is Mayor Michael Montandon.

Source:

Rhodes loses council seat
Las Vegas NV Sun 6Jun01 T2
By Diana Sahagun: Las Vegas Sun
Officials, weary of infighting, eagerly welcome Eliason

QUOTE:

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Copyright 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001 Kent Larsen · Privacy Information