Ross wants to debate Fiore ahead of Las Vegas City Council runoff election
Two days after Michele Fiore and Kelli Ross locked up spots on a June general election ballot , Ross’ campaign called for a series of debates in the coming weeks.
Two Las Vegas City Council races will be decided in June runoffs, as Councilman Bob Beers fights for another term and Fiore and Ross square off in Ward 6.
Beers will face Steve Seroka, a retired Air Force colonel, on June 13, after drawing just shy of 43 percent of primary votes, or 2,586, to Seroka’s 1,731, which was close to 29 percent of the roughly 6,000 votes cast for Tuesday’s primary election in Ward 2. Christina Roush was close behind Seroka, with 1,592 votes.
In Ward 4, Councilman Stavros Anthony delivered a drubbing Tuesday to earn his third and final City Council term. He pulled in 74 percent of the 6,400 votes cast. His challengers Deborah Harris, Sean Lyttle and Jon Edge drew 13 percent, 11 percent and 2 percent of the votes, respectively.
Fiore, a former Nevada assemblywoman, led a field of nine candidates in northwest Las Vegas Ward 6 by getting 46 percent of the vote. Had she pulled in more than half of the votes cast, Fiore would have sealed a victory in the primary.
Ross, who hopes to succeed her term-limited husband Steve Ross, drew nearly 31 percent of votes.
The other seven candidates were knocked out in the primary. Clark County School District Trustee Chris Garvey came in third, with 12 percent of the vote. Ryan Alarid, Matthew Consoli, Joel Jarvis, Allen Jordan, Reid Rasner and Thaddeus Ynigues all drew single-digit vote percentages.
The Ross campaign on Thursday issued a challenge to Fiore for six town hall-style debates before the June runoff, based on unscripted questions from Ward 6 voters.
The Ross and Fiore campaigns sparred on Thursday, with Ross contending in a statement that Fiore should answer to her “less than appropriate actions as a former elected official.”
“The fact is, she is clearly uncomfortable talking about issues she doesn’t understand,” Ross’ campaign. “What’s worse, she simply can’t explain her many years of hateful rhetoric away so easily in a public forum.”
In response, Fiore’s campaign issued a statement to the Review-Journal Thursday afternoon that said she’s “happy to debate” but her priority remains meeting with voters.
The Fiore statement charges that Ross’ aim is to create a “family dynasty” on the City Council and called her “ethically challenged,” referring to a 2014 lawsuit against Ross over her election to the Whisper Creek Owners’ Association board that said she misrepresented herself as an owner. Ross ultimately stepped down from that post.
“Unlike my opponent, accessibility isn’t something I start to care about when I need a boost in the polls, it is something I practice everyday,” Fiore said.
Contact Jamie Munks at jmunks@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0340. Follow @JamieMunksRJ on Twitter.