Seastrand won’t seek seventh term as NLV mayor

Steve Sebelius

Tuesday, Dec. 17, 1996 | 11:59 a.m.

North Las Vegas City Councilman Theron Goynes is running for mayor, and current Mayor James Seastrand says he won't run for a seventh term.

Goynes, 67, scheduled a news conference for this evening at North Las Vegas City Hall to announce his candidacy, as well as endorsements from the Teamsters and the North Las Vegas fire and police associations.

Seastrand, mayor for 16 years and a council member for 22, initially said Monday that he hadn't decided whether to run again when a reporter told him about Goynes' candidacy. But later Monday, he said he'd decided not to run.

In September, Seastrand lost his bid to replace retiring Clark County Commissioner Jay Bingham, losing a Democratic primary to North Las Vegas Councilwoman Mary Kincaid. But the mayor said his retirement had more to do with term limits approved by voters than his electoral defeat.

"I've been thinking about it for a while," said Seastrand, who figured the commercial boom in North Las Vegas will be his legacy. "I had a feeling people wanted a change. What triggered me was the two-term limit."

Seastrand acknowledged he could have served another two terms, since the measure is not retroactive, but said the voters' desire was clear.

"The intent of the thing was to limit it to two terms," he said. "The people have spoken. It's time to do what the people want me to do."

Goynes, meanwhile, said he'd only serve one term as mayor if elected next year, capping a local political career of 17 years, the last 12 as mayor pro tem.

During that time, he's taken the lead in resolving problems faced by homeowners in the Windsor Park subdivision, where homes have crumbled due to soil collapse. The council initially wanted to relocate the homes, but the city got federal money to build new houses for the homeowners.

Goynes, a retired elementary school principal, said he would work to get 68 police officers and 36 support workers recently authorized by a voter-approved property tax hike on the streets, providing a bike patrol in older areas and new substations in the fast-growing northwest.

He said he would do his best to attract more business to the city. "We offer them a good, structured tax base," Goynes said.

"We are experiencing big-city pains. We've got to move forward," he said.

One thing Goynes said he would not do is consider consolidation with either the city of Las Vegas or Clark County. He said North Las Vegas isn't interested in merging with either entity. Members of the County Commission and Las Vegas City Council are holding secret talks that might result in some consolidation between the two governments.

"I'm definitely opposed to North Las Vegas consolidating anything," Goynes said. "We're an independent city, and we should stay independent."

Despite breakneck growth, North Las Vegas still suffers from image problems of poverty and high crime. Goynes said he could handle the job of chief city booster that comes with the mayor's gavel.

"I think people have been listening to me. I sent a message: 'This (city) is a class act.' I think I can get that message out there."

James Seastrand

Theron Goynes