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County Democrats seek probe of North Las Vegas Ward 4 race
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LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL
Updated: Jul. 7, 2011 | 8:16 a.m.
Officials with the Clark County Democratic Party said Wednesday that they have asked the secretary of state to investigate North Las Vegas Mayor Shari Buck and Ward 4 City Council candidate Wade Wagner for allegations of improper financial disclosures related to his campaign.
Buck and Wagner are Republicans. Wagner won a June 7 election over City Councilman Richard Cherchio, a Democrat, by one vote. But election officials discovered that one resident had voted in the wrong precinct. So the City Council agreed to hold a revote in that same precinct.
For a time, the revote stalled while various parties contested the process in what is supposed to be a nonpartisan election. The City Council finally voted to set the revote for July 19.
The Clark County Democrats accused Buck of lending her name and title to a direct mail piece endorsing Wagner but neglecting to disclose that her husband was a paid campaign employee for him.
The Democrats also alleged Wagner failed to disclose payments to Keith Buck as an expense.
Wagner said he paid Buck through his firm, The Quest Company, which he listed on his financial disclosure forms.
"We have absolutely nothing to hide. And we reported everything appropriately," Wagner said.
Buck dismissed the Democrats' action as "merely politics."
"Let them investigate me," she said. "They'll find nothing improper."
Buck had said publicly that she had donated to Wagner's campaign and that her husband had worked for him "and was paid."
She made those comments to explain why she was abstaining on June 15 from voting on whether the city should hold the revote in precinct 4306.
In a news release, Andrew Martin, chairman of the Democratic Party in Clark County, accused the mayor of "abusing her office" to influence the outcome of the election.
"Wade Wagner is Mayor Buck's dentist and handpicked candidate for the NLV City Council, and together they will do anything to win, even if it means hiring Buck's family members and not disclosing the expense as required by law," Martin said.
Buck said she didn't have to disclose her husband was a campaign employee in the mail piece.
"That's just silly," she said. "This is about Democrats trying to help Cherchio steal the election."
Las Vegas Review-Journal reporter Lynnette Curtis contributed to this story. Contact Laura Myers at lmyers@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2919.
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The only ones trying to steal the election are the those who call for Wagner to be certified a winner despite the FACT, an undisputed fact, that an illegal vote was cast.
Who is trying to steal the election?
Also, this article incorrectly concludes that Wagner "won." No, Wagner did NOT win. If he won, he would have been seated. He didn't win - Wagner received one more vote than Cherchio - in an election where it was discovered, as a matter of fact, that an illegal vote had been cast.
So no, Wagner did not win. A winner wins an election without illegal votes. You can't call someone a winner if there were illegal votes.
Unless you are disputing that the vote was NOT illegal, you can't agree to this fact and also conclude that Wagner won the election.
Every time I hear this "Republican" idea in NLV - I'm motivated to get out and get people registered to vote. I'm sick and tired of having this select group of religious people running NLV.
We have the numbers in NLV to prevent these extremist from taking office. We need to get more people registered to vote and get them out to vote.
WAKE UP WEBMASTER. Block jordanforworld.com spam from this forum.
HEY YOU, jordanforworld.com, GET YOUR SLEAZY SPAM OFF THIS FORUM!
Oh my, Shari - BUSTED!
That's not true, Sweetcndy. They said they had two options, to canvass the votes, or if they felt they could not do that in light of the CLARK COUNTY ELECTIONS DEPARTMENT saying they were not sure of the true outcome, they could decline to certify and call for a new election.
A new election in that precinct is the the law, and the precedent. It happened in 1999 in NLV, and no one seemed to have a problem with it then.
I don't get why all these Wagner people are crying foul. Cherchio goes from 1 vote down to 3 votes down with a new election. With a 1 vote margin and 1 vote being illegal, anything outside of a revote seems to be trying to steal the election and disenfranchising all of the voters of Ward 4. Shame on Wade Wagner!
And why would Anita contribute money to a campaign if she had nothing to gain from it? Are you even thinking? Funny how judges are siding with all the parties suing the city now. They must be corrupt too huh? Get it through your thick skulls that these idiotic city councilors are in the wrong, and are being exposed! They've been financially irresponsible and can't make any smart decisions. I pay attention to politics and know how hard it is for a candidate to beat an incumbent even if it was by one vote! That is a huge deal, and shows that people are realizing that cherchio is an idiot! That is very embarrassing for an incumbent. I hope Anita realizes she's next if she doesnt straighten up!
No, their legal council advised them to canvas the votes. I was there! But it doesnt matter because cherchio us going to lose in court! This is so illegal! They cant erase all those legitimate votes because they are unsure who this guy voted for! The worst case scenario is that it's a tie! So it should got to card draw, not a whole new election in one precinct! Come on Suzie! Dont be dumb!
AND ONE MORE THING ACB - were you at the city council meeting during the original decision to move to an election? If so, then you must have the same amnesia as the mayor. I was there and the city attorney VERY CLEARLY explained that the council had two options, to canvass and certify the vote (which means they are attesting to the accuracy of the vote and no one can do that with a 1 vote difference and 1 illegal vote) OR they could call for a new election. Even Wagner's OWN ATTORNEY said there were 3 possible outcomes because of the illegal vote - how does the council honestly attest to the accuracy of an election that has 3 possible outcomes?!?!?!
PUT YOUR LISTENING EARS ON NEXT TIME! The mayor also conveniently forgot that little fact, stating that the city attorney only gave them the choice to canvass and they were breaking the law and his advice - she is a liar and so are you if you were there and choose to ignore what REALLY happened.
Hey VegasNative2011, if the Dentist wasn't as corrupt as the Mayor, why did he have to pay the Mayor's husband through a shadow corporation? Maybe the people of 4306 need to know what their Mayor has done to their City. She approved a new City Hall, she approved a needless Waste Water Treatment Plant. She approved outrageous contracts as the economy was starting to tank.
The Mayor and her Dentist are cut from the same cloth. They are going to force the City into bankruptcy, or force those poor saps that own homes into paying either higher property taxes (and NLV already has the highest property tax rate in the Valley!).
The people of 4306 should take note, and vote against the Mayor who destroyed the city they call home.
ACB - BIIIIG Difference! Anita Wood contributed TO Cherchio's campaign - she stands to make no money. Keith Buck was PAID by Wagner's campaign - they not only stood to make money, but apparently he stood to benefit via his career. Not even the same.