Woodbury, Maxfield get snowy send-off

A man who showed a serious dedication to politics during his 28-year tenure capped off his final Clark County Commission meeting Wednesday with a joke about the weather.

"People said it would snow in hell before I left the commission," said Bruce Woodbury, 64, who served his first term in 1981. "Well, it's snowing, and some people think Las Vegas is hell."

It was fitting that a man dubbed the "father of flood control" would participate in his last commission meeting the day that snowstorms engulfed the valley.

Commissioner Chip Maxfield, who served eight years, also attended his final meeting Wednesday. The two Republican incumbents will leave office in January for different reasons.

Maxfield simply had enough of public life and wanted to devote more time to his family and civil engineering. Woodbury sought re-election before the state Supreme Court ruled that 12-year term limits disqualified him.

When asked about post-commission plans, Maxfield smiled and replied, "I'm going back to work. I'm still figuring out what that is."

Woodbury said that, although some people think he would be a shoo-in for state office, he feels no desire to pursue a different brand of politics.

"I just look forward to being a civilian for a while, maybe for good," Woodbury said. "I enjoy politics despite the frustrations. But I got to the point a few weeks ago that I'm glad to be getting out."

During the day, many attorneys arguing their cases to the commission took a moment to pay homage to the departing leaders.

Commissioner Rory Reid quipped that the lawyers did not praise the two men until after the vote went their clients' way.

After the meeting, Jennifer Lazovich, an attorney who represents developers, said Maxfield and Woodbury were always fair to her in the decade she appeared before them.

"You always understood where they were coming from," she said, "whether they approved my projects or denied my projects."

At an alcohol-free farewell party, a mixture of laughter and tears could be seen.

"They looked at things as genuinely a nonpartisan thing," Commissioner Tom Collins said. "Whatever was good for the county."

Commissioner Lawrence Weekly recalled how Maxfield mentored him during his first daunting months as a rookie.

"He's very, very bright and very passionate about what he does," Weekly said.

Both of the departing commissioners received several plaques, including one from the district attorney's office. The county Water Reclamation District gave them each a sewer paddle to honor their efforts at improving the area's water treatment.

"They had their minds in the sewer all these years," quipped Richard Mendes, the district's general manager, drawing groans and laughter.

"We could've used these paddles years ago to wade through all that crap in the political world," Woodbury said.

Maxfield praised Woodbury for being a pioneer in improving freeways, flood control and air quality.

"I say, 'Why is the air so dirty?'" Maxfield said. "Bruce says, 'Why is the air so dirty? We should do something about it.'"

Maxfield talked of how he met Clark County Manager Virginia Valentine three decades ago when they were both new engineers at a local firm. They got to know each other's personalities well while working in a cramped space, he said.

Maxfield looked at the room filled with well-wishers, and tears moistened his eyes.

"It's definitely a growing experience," he said, pausing in midsentence.

Woodbury joked that the county would save money on longevity pay and the cost of hooking up amplifiers at meetings because of his partial deafness. His gaze grew somber as he realized he would never enter the chambers again as an elected county leader.

"It's kind of strange feeling this, you can imagine, after 28 years," Woodbury said.

Contact reporter Scott Wyland at swyland@reviewjournal.com or 702-455-4519.