Councilpersons-elect Peggy Leavitt and Rod Woodbury watch election returns Tuesday night at the Boulder Dam Hotel. Woodbury received votes from nearly 60 percent of the voters and Leavitt was supported by 54 percent of the voters. Photo by Steve Andrascik.

By Jack Johnson, Boulder City Review

Mayor Roger Tobler won his bid for re-election in Tuesday’s primary and two City Council candidates also received enough votes to win their seats outright.

This is the first time since 1999, when the mayor’s job was changed from an appointed to an elected position, that a mayor has captured the seat in a primary election.

The two Council positions went to Rod Woodbury and Peggy Leavitt.

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By Arnold M. Knightly, Boulder City Review

The voters overwhelmingly threw their support behind the current mayor and two new faces on election night.

This election, the candidates with the best ability to raise money for their campaign won out Tuesday night.

Mayor Roger Tobler, left, and City Councilpersons-elect Peggy Leavitt and Rod Woodbury, on right, pose for a picture Tuesday night at the Boulder Dam Hotel. The three raised and spent the most money during their successful bids. Council candidate Rose Ann Rabiola Miele, middle, raised the fourth most money but was far behind the other three in cash and votes. Photo by Steve Andrascik.

It should cautioned however, that raising and spending money doesn’t always translate to victory.

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By Arnold M. Knightly, Boulder City Review

Note: This story was updated Thursday evening.

The campaign finance reports for the city’s upcoming elections show a wide gap between some of the candidates’ ability to raise and spend money during the primary election.

Tuesday will show if the dollars will translate to victories in the primary election, or if some candidates will have to push forward to the general election in June.

In the mayor’s race, Mayor Roger Tobler raised $25,392, including $5,000 from local resident Robert Draney, $2,500 from both the Woodbury Family Trust and the Greater Las Vegas Association of Realtor.

Tobler spent $16,609 in the period, $14,892 of which went to advertising.

Mayoral candidate and City Councilwoman Linda Strickland raised $5,175 and spent $4,733.

Her largest contributors were a few $500 donations.

Mayoral candidate and handyman Zach Inman raised $1,300 and spent $1,543 with $728 going to advertising.

City Council candidate Rod Woodbury has raised more money than any candidate in either race. He has also spent more to win in the Council primary than did the other four Council candidates combined.

Woodbury raised $52,970 and spent $26,875 in the first reporting period, which ran from Jan. 1 to March 24.

Woodbury’s biggest donation was $5,000 from his mother, Rose Woodbury, and $5,000 from South Point hotel-casino in Las Vegas.

He also received $4,000 from Mike Ensign, a former gaming executive and father of U.S. Sen. John Ensign.

Woodbury also received a $5,000 loan from his father, former County Commissioner Bruce Woodbury.

Nearly $33,000 of the raised money came from individuals and businesses based outside Boulder City. However, some of the donors have business interests around the city, such as Ensign, whose family has an ownership stake in the Hacienda hotel-casino.

Of the $26,875 Woodbury spent, $18,510 went to advertising including signs, shirts and print advertising.

City Council Peggy Leavitt raised $23,890 and spent $13,705 during the period.

Leavitt, a retired social services administrator, received $2,500 donations from the Woodbury Family Trust, the Greater Las Vegas Association of Realtor and the Hacienda hotel-casino.

Leavitt spent $12,158 on advertising and printing costs.

Council candidate Rose Ann Rabiola Miele raised $5,849 in the first period with $1,950 coming from Boulder City Disposal Inc., operator of the landfill on Utah Street.

She received four large contributions from entities based outside Boulder City totaling $1,300.

Miele, the former city public information officer, spent $4,220 during the period, $2,952 going to advertising.

Council candidate and writer Lynn Goya has raised $4,929 during the campaign. However, $3,004 came from the political action committee for the Plumbers & Pipefitters Union Local 525 in Las Vegas.

Goya, who was unsuccessful in her run for State Assembly last year, has spent $2,099 on advertising mostly related to printing cost.

Council candidate Linda Graham raised $1,109 and spent $657 in advertising. Graham, who is married to a minister at Grace Community Church, gathered contributions from individual donations around Boulder City.

The mayor has an annual salary of $13,894 and the City Council pays $11,211.

The reports cover contributions and expenses from Jan. 1 through March 24.

Early voting ends Friday with the primary election on Tuesday.

By Arnold M. Knightly, Editor’s Desk

The campaign finance reports started arriving at the City Clerk’s office on Tuesday, the deadline for the first reporting period.

However, Mayor Roger Tobler and City Council candidate Rod Woodbury sent their reports by certified mail and weren’t expected to arrive until Wednesday afternoon after this newspaper goes to press.

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By Joan Patterson, Boulder City Review

The city’s three mayoral candidates gathered for a debate at the Recreation Center on March 16, giving their stands on issues such as traffic problems, attracting businesses to the area, ballot initiatives and trimming costs in a city budget that, during the current recession, has had to weather steadily falling revenues.

About 200 residents filled the bleachers inside the center’s gym and listened to the views of three very different contenders for the job which carries a four-year commitment.

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By Jack Johnson, Boulder City Review

City Council and mayoral candidates convened at the Boulder City Library on March 10 for the Boulder City Police Protective Association’s Public Safety Meet the Candidates Night.

The association represents every full-time officer below the rank of lieutenant.

The event, which drew about 50 people, gave candidates the opportunity to answer four public-safety related questions given to them the day before the event, and one randomly selected question from an audience member.

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By Arnold M. Knightly, The Editor’s Desk

The big day, or should I say days, are here! Early voting for the primaries begins Saturday at 10 a.m., at City Hall.

The Primary Election Day is less than three weeks away.

You can cut the anticipation with a knife.

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