Little change sought for council seats

Jeffrey Libby

Wednesday, Oct. 16, 2002 | 9:48 a.m.

Three Henderson City Council members running campaigns for re-election spoke in favor of the status quo Tuesday before voting on new wards for spring municipal elections.

"I would like to see the least amount of change," said Councilman Steve Kirk, running for his second four-year term. "I do not like a dramatic change."

"I also favor No. 1," said Councilman Andy Hafen, who is running for his fifth term.

Councilwoman Amanda Cyphers, running for her third term, said, "Plan 1 has the least amount of change."

But the redrawing of the wards removes one of the last remaining obstacles to those who would bring change to the council. Potential challengers can now announce their candidacy, knowing that their home has been anchored in a particular ward.

"Oh, sure," campaigns will be announced said Ann Adam, past president of Sun Ridge MacDonald Ranch homeowners association. "But I don't know if it will be tomorrow."

Two years ago just one candidate challenged Councilman Jack Clark's campaign for a third term. The challenger, Jesse Horne, made the rounds to community leaders, making arguments for his candidacy. But after raising just $3,250 to Clark's $150,000, Horne quickly dropped out of the race.

Mayor Jim Gibson raised more than $153,000 while running unopposed for his second term.

The 1999 election, with the same seats as this spring's election up for a vote, brought more candidates but no close races. Kirk, Cyphers and Hafen won easily, raising $128,000, $151,000 and $161,000 respectively, far more than their challengers could manage. Hafen took 60 percent of the vote, the closest race of the three.

In her race against Hafen, Ann Barron, a former economic development director for the city, raised $30,000 and managed to pull 31 percent of the vote.

Three of the challengers raised no money at all. Elizabeth Trosper raised just $2,710.

Guy Van Wyck, who raised the most of any challenger at $41,000, received 33 percent of the vote in his race against Kirk for the seat left open by outgoing Councilman David Wood. State law dictates that the ward lines must be redrawn in the year preceding municipal elections if populations of wards are not within 5 percent of each other.