Councilman Beers won’t let stadium petition die
Las Vegas City Councilman Bob Beers is not backing away from a petition signature fight that could force a June public election over the city’s controversial soccer stadium subsidy.
Last week, the city clerk informed Beers that it would take 8,258 signatures — not 2,308, as originally thought — to force the issue onto the June 2 city election ballot, allowing city residents to determine the fate of the plan to use $56.5 million in public money in building a $200 million stadium for developers seeking a Major League Soccer franchise.
On Monday, Beers fired back in a letter aimed at Acting City Clerk LuAnn Holmes, disputing her determination of how many signatures are needed to qualify the “Parks Protection Committee” initiative for the next general city election ballot. The committee has already begun collecting signatures.
Beers said he’ll submit the letter Tuesday — City Hall was closed Monday for Martin Luther King Day.
“While the law is clear that the city must use turnout from the last city election, even if it is a primary instead of a general, the city contends it can break the law if it believes the law is unconstitutional,” Beers wrote in the two-page letter.
Beers also said that, “If the city believes the law is unconstitutional, it must still follow the law and can take the matter up with the courts.”
Beers on Dec. 17 was in the minority on the 4-3 council approval of subsidies for the partnership of Findlay Sports & Entertainment/The Cordish Cos to build the 24,000-seat stadium in Symphony Park. Findlay/Cordish is lobbying MLS to award Las Vegas a franchise and is competing against groups in Minneapolis and Sacramento, Calif. The stadium will not be built if the city isn’t awarded a team.
The city would use hotel room fee revenue now devoted to parks projects to help pay for its share of the stadium in payments of $3 million annually for 30 years. The city would also give land valued at $48 million to Findlay/Cordish.
Less than a month after the council vote, subsidy foes organized the Parks Protection Committee in hopes of putting the stadium subsidy on the ballot. The city initially said 2,308 signatures were needed, but on Jan. 13 former City Clerk Beverly Bridges said the city had made a mistake in the calculation — the actual requirement is 8,258, nearly four times what the group was initially told.
Bridges said she had used voter tallies from a countywide primary election in 2013, not the city’s last municipal election in 2011, to calculate the original figure. The deadline for submitting signatures remains Jan. 24, a tight turnaround for Beers and his group.
In his response, Beers said the Nevada Secretary of State referendum guide says ballot petitions must be signed by a number of registered voters equal to or exceeding 15 percent of the voter turnout for the most recent general county election or the most recent city election.
Beers cited several election law reports and requirements in his response.
“The wording of the Constitution, a plain reading of those words, precedent, Nevada’s top elections official, the intent of the Legislature and the law itself contradict your letter of January 13,” Beers wrote. “Therefore, the citizens of the city and the Committee reject your conclusion that 8,258 signatures must be gathered to qualify our petition. The correct number is 2,308.
“Please confirm at your earliest opportunity that you agree,” Beers wrote. “We also request one additional week to gather signatures in light of the diversion your letter of January has created.”
City officials could not be reached for comment because of the holiday.
Contact reporter Alan Snel at asnel@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-5273. Follow him on Twitter: @BicycleManSnel
