Yes, there really is an election

Amid little hype and fanfare, early voting for the city of Las Vegas municipal election begins Saturday. With only one City Council seat up for grabs and a single Municipal Court race on the ballot, election officials are anticipating abysmal turnout. Because just a few thousand votes are likely to be cast, every ballot carries even greater significance for the candidates.

The Review-Journal offers the following endorsements in the Las Vegas municipal election.

In the only City Council race, Las Vegas natives Ricki Barlow and Stacie Truesdell are in a runoff for the Ward 5 seat, which encompasses most of downtown and areas with predominantly minority populations. The winner will replace Brenda J. Williams, who was appointed on an interim basis when Lawrence Weekly left office to fill a vacancy on the Clark County Commission. In April's primary election, Mr. Barlow finished first among 10 candidates with 43 percent of the vote, and Ms. Truesdell finished second with 29 percent.

Mr. Barlow is a longtime city of Las Vegas employee who worked as a liaison for Mr. Weekly and once served as a Washington aide for former Nevada Sen. Richard Bryan. Mr. Barlow has taken a leave from his position to seek elected office.

He views his government experience working on neighborhood issues such as crime, economic development and code enforcement as key qualifications for the council seat.

Ms. Truesdell is an attorney with the law firm Jones Vargas. She has represented clients on land use and zoning issues before city government, and says her private-sector experience will benefit Ward 5 residents.

What distinguishes Mr. Barlow and Ms. Truesdell is their view on the role of municipal government. While Mr. Barlow is the consummate insider with loyalties to both city bureaucracies and constituents who have become dependent on them, Ms. Truesdell is more inclined to provide skeptical oversight and allow the city manager to handle the day-to-day operations of city government.

Mr. Barlow's residency has been an issue in the campaign. Although he initially represented himself as a longtime city of Las Vegas resident, he in fact lived in unincorporated Clark County and North Las Vegas for many years. As a result, his appointment by the city to a seat on the Las Vegas-Clark County Library District Board of Trustees violated city code because he was not a Las Vegas resident.

Ms. Truesdell is young -- she'll turn 27 shortly -- but she'll bring a fresh perspective to the City Council.

The Review-Journal endorses Stacie Truesdell in the Las Vegas City Council Ward 5 race.

The other city contest to be decided pits attorneys Lynn Avants and Marty Hastings for a judgeship in Department 6 of Municipal Court, which handles traffic and misdemeanor cases. Mr. Avants and Mr. Hastings survived a primary field of seven candidates.

Mr. Hastings has been an attorney for 18 years and regularly appears in Municipal Court. He touts his experience and says that if elected, he wants to "hit the ground running." Mr. Hastings doesn't believe the court's operations need any major changes and says courtesy would be commonplace in his courtroom. "You have to treat people fairly," he said.

Mr. Avants, meanwhile, has spent a decade as an attorney and currently serves as a public defender. He touts his experience in Municipal Court -- "That's what I do on a daily basis" -- and says his goal would be to issue "fair, honest and equal decisions" from the bench. "I like to help people," he offers as an explanation for his campaign.

Both Mr. Hastings and Mr. Avants are well-qualified. But Mr. Avants' enthusiasm for the post tips the scales, in our opinion. We recommend Lynn Avants for Municipal Court.