Election ‘99: Incumbents win Henderson council seats

Lisa Snedeker

Wednesday, May 5, 1999 | 10 a.m.

Henderson voters sent a clear message in Tuesday's municipal election by retaining two City Council incumbents and skipping a general election in June.

Councilwoman Amanda Cyphers received an overwhelming stamp of approval, garnering a little more than 73 percent of the vote to retain her Ward 1 seat for a second, four-year term. That's the highest percentage of votes that any candidate received in Tuesday's municipal races throughout Clark County, according to unofficial vote totals.

Councilman Andy Hafen retained his Ward 2 seat with a little more than 60 percent of the vote to serve a fourth consecutive four-year term.

The city's newest council member, Steve Kirk, 40, ended up with a little more than 67 percent of the vote to win the Ward 4 seat being vacated by first-term Councilman David Wood.

Of the 77,721 registered voters, fewer than 12,000 turned out for the election that also saw Municipal Judge John Provost retain his Department 2 seat by almost 61 percent.

Because candidates in each race earned more than 50 percent of the vote, no run-off elections are necessary on June 8.

Mayor James Gibson said that means the council can focus on city business for the next month rather than being distracted by another election.

He added he believed it was a good election and that both Cyphers and Hafen deserved to be re-elected.

"I think we showed we run elections differently in Henderson," Gibson said.

Growth and how it will affect residents' quality of life was a deciding factor in the race as well as public safety, according to candidates. Residents are most concerned about what is being developed near their homes. They also are concerned about construction traffic and general congestion.

Cyphers, 32, made the City Council her full-time job after she was elected to her seat. It was a formula she now knows worked, she said during a victory party at her home.

While shocked by the outpouring of support from voters, Cyphers said it means she is doing the job residents want to see an elected official do.

"I know I'm going in the right direction," she said, adding she plans on spending the next few days catching up on council work that she had set aside during the campaign.

Cyphers raised $150,536 in contributions, according to her campaign disclosure form.

Both Hafen and Kirk attributed their victories to successful grass-roots efforts by hundreds of volunteers.

Hafen, who invited about 1,800 volunteers to a combination thank you and victory party in the Henderson Convention Center, said this was his best campaign to date.

"We had great support; the most (volunteer) help ever," he said.

And the most financial support -- of all the candidates, Hafen collected $160,896.

Because Kirk was raised in the original area of Henderson and now lives in Green Valley, he attributed his win over his lone opponent, Guy Van Wyck, 57, to his unique perspective on the community. Van Wyck received 32.5 percent of the vote.

Kirk raised $128,980 in campaign contributions.

After serving as chairman of the city's Parks and Recreation Board for the past year and a half, Kirk said he sees his role as councilman as an extension of his service to the community.

"I consider this a sacred trust the voters have placed in me," the first-time candidate said from an election party at his home. "I will do the right thing for the community."

Kirk will take over Wood's four-year seat on July 6.

The nonpartisan council seats are elected at-large, but candidates must live within the ward in which they run.

The Ward 1 race pitted Cyphers against first-time candidates Fred Pratt, 44, and Elizabeth Trosper, 39. Pratt received a little more than 11 percent of the vote to Trosper's 10.5 percent.

The race narrowed after Debra Ann Lemancik-Grant, 37, announced early last month that she was dropping out of the race to support Trosper. Lemancik-Grant's name, however, appeared on the ballot because she never formally withdrew her candidacy. She received a little more than 5 percent of the vote.

Hafen faced opposition from Ann Barron, 50, and William Brandt, 67.

Barron was the economic development director for the city of Henderson for 16 years. She received almost 31 percent of the vote compared to Brandt's 9 percent.

Barron filed a lawsuit in District Court on April 30 against the city, claiming her First and 14th Amendment rights were violated when city personnel ordered her not to distribute campaign literature at a public picnic and concert sponsored by the city.