Henderson: Candidates field residents’ concerns about rapid growth

Lisa Snedeker

Friday, April 30, 1999 | 12:08 p.m.

Residents living in the nation's fastest-growing city are mainly concerned about rapid development and how it will affect their quality of life.

That's what candidates running for three City Council seats say they have learned in the days leading up to Tuesday's primary election. Early voting in City Hall ends today at 5 p.m.

While candidates must live within the ward in which they run, they are elected at-large to the nonpartisan four-year seats.

The Ward 1 race pits first-term Councilwoman Amanda Cyphers against first-time candidates Fred Pratt and Elizabeth Trosper. Unless one of the candidates receives 50 percent or more of the vote, the top two finishers head to the June 8 general election.

The race narrowed after Debra Ann Lemancik-Grant, 37, announced earlier this month that she was dropping out of the race and throwing her support behind Trosper. According to the city clerk's office, her name still appears on the ballot because she never formally withdrew her candidacy.

Cyphers, 32, said she has several speaking engagements scheduled for this weekend, but she is not gearing up for any last-minute campaign activity.

"I'm probably not out as much as some of the others, but I've been running for four years," she said.

She said the main concern she has heard from residents is how new development will impact their quality of life.

"They want to know they can enjoy quality time in their back yards with their family," she said. "But overall I'm hearing that people are happy with the direction of Henderson."

Pratt, 44, who works for Southern Nevada's Economic Opportunity Board, said even if he is not elected, he hopes the council will use some of the ideas that have come out during the campaign, such as his park-and-ride concept to alleviate traffic congestion and his suggestion that developers pay a $5-square-foot impact fee on new homes to pay for city services.

Residents are concerned that there are not enough police officers on the street, Pratt said.

Pratt said he's put the word out about his campaign, but he has no plans to pound the pavement this weekend.

"The political process of getting elected has been a real learning experience for me," he said.

Trosper, 39, is a former actress and an accounts administrator, who unlike her opponents in Ward 1, is hitting as many groups as she can in the next few days.

She said most of the residents she has talked to are interested in seeing the city's economy become more diversified. But what Trosper has discovered during her campaign and through attending City Council and homeowners association meetings is that each neighborhood has its own agenda when it comes to growth.

"Those living in Seven Hills are worried about their homes burning down (because of a lack of nearby fire protection), those in Green Valley are concerned about traffic congestion and the folks in Calico Ridge are fighting the (proposed) mine," she said.

In Ward 2, Councilman Andy Hafen, 45, is seeking his fourth term. He also faces opposition from two first-time candidates, Ann Barron and William Brandt.

Hafen said he is planning a walking blitz this weekend.

"I'm hoping to have 100-150 volunteers walking door-to-door," he said.

Construction traffic and street construction are top concerns of residents Hafen has talked to while campaigning.

Barron, 50, who was the economic development director for the city of Henderson for 16 years, says she will be knocking on doors and talking to people in the next few days.

"People are concerned about traffic and the management of traffic," she said. "What's bothering them is that they can't (always) get out of their driveways (because of construction)."

Barron said many residents believe growth is not being planned for properly.

"They are not against growth, they just don't think it's well-managed," she said.

Brandt, 67, formerly served as a village trustee in Lombard, Ill. He said he's not planning on doing anything special in the campaign's final days.

"I feel the city is too large to try to canvass," he said.

The resounding message he has heard from residents is their "not in my back yard" attitude toward development and the effect of growth on the availability of city services.

In Ward 4, the seat that is being vacated by Councilman David Wood, who decided not to run for a second term, is being sought by Steve Kirk and Guy Van Wyck.

The primary election will decide this particular race because whoever wins will get the job.

Kirk, 40, is chairman of the city's Parks and Recreation Board. He could not be reached for comment.

Guy Van Wyck, 57, is a former Henderson planning commissioner and member of the Citizens' Advisory Board.

Van Wyck, who has been campaigning door to door, said after the Heritage Days parade last weekend that he feels very positive about the race.

"They want to know they can enjoy quality time in their back yards with their family. But overall I'm hearing that people are happy with the direction of Henderson."Councilwoman Amanda CyphersON HER CAMPAIN FOR RE-ELECTION