Municipal elections will bring change

By Mark Hansel, Nicole Lucht, Stephanie Tavares

Friday, March 27, 2009 | 2 a.m.

The political landscape in Southern Nevada will change significantly in the coming months and possibly as soon as the next few weeks.

Early voting has begun for the valley’s municipal primary elections, which take place April 7, with some key posts up for grabs.

Henderson and North Las Vegas will each elect a new mayor this year and Las Vegas is assured of having at least one new city council member.

The primary elections have added significance in Nevada because if any candidate receives more than 50 percent of the vote, that person is declared the winner and no general election takes place. If a general election is necessary in any race, it will take place on June 2.

Despite the significance of the primaries, turnout has traditionally been light and early voting numbers indicate this year will be no exception.

In addition to the mayoral race, Henderson has a contested race for a city council seat and another for municipal judge. North Las Vegas has two contested city council races and a municipal judge’s race to be decided.

Las Vegas has two contested council races as well as a municipal judge seat to be filled. Ward 2 Councilman Steve Wolfson, Department 4 Municipal Judge Bert Brown and Ward 6 Municipal Judge Marty Hastings failed to draw a challenger and were declared elected. Here is a look at the candidates by city.

Las Vegas

In Ward 6, Incumbent Steve Ross has drawn a challenge from Jennifer Taylor, a lawyer with the firm Robertson & Vick.

Ross, a certified master electrician and secretary treasurer of the Southern Nevada Building Trades Council, was elected to the council in 2005.

“When I took office I made a commitment to the voters to continue to protect the rural neighborhoods, which I have done,” Ross said. “Now we are dealing with foreclosures and unemployment because of businesses closing down. We need to focus on getting people back in a position to pay their bills.”

While a Las Vegas City Council position is technically a part-time job, Ross said he discovered early on that it is anything but.

“When I first got elected, I found out there is nothing part time about it,” Ross said. “A council member has to be avail to constituents seven days a week. I firmly believe local government should stay in constant communication with residents and that s what I’ve done and that’s what I’ll continue to do.

Taylor said Ross made a promise to the citizens of Ward 6, which he has since broken and his administration has been characterized by failed policies and broken promises.

“He made a single solemn pledge in 2005 that he did not work for those who have business before the city and that he would not work for them if elected and that his job was to represent the neighborhoods and I think he…clearly broke that pledge.”

Ross’s decision to remain on the council after he accepted the position with the trades council, Taylor says, makes it impossible for him to avoid working for people who have business with the city.

Taylor said the main issues facing Ward 6 are jobs, the foreclosure crisis and crime and she has plans to address all of them.

The Ward 4 city council race has drawn six candidates.

Former Councilman Larry Brown was elected to the Clark County Commission in November and David Steinman, a member of the city’s planning commission has been serving as interim councilman. Steinman agreed not to seek election when he took on the interim role and that opened up the field for a host of contenders.

Despite the crowded field, two well-financed candidates, with long tenures in different areas of public service have emerged as frontrunners.

Glenn Trowbridge, a resident of Ward 4 for more than 20 years and Las Vegas for more than 30, is chairman of the Las Vegas Planning Commission.

“I’m running because I know I have the experience, knowledge, and desire that is necessary to represent the residents of this ward on the city council,” Trowbridge said. As a planning commissioner, Trowbridge said he routinely deals with issues that ultimately end up before the council, so he understands how the system works.

“The thing that I have that the others don’t have is that I can it the ground running with a knowledge of what it takes to do things in the city,” Trowbridge said.

The most important challenges facing the city right now, Trowbridge says, are to balance expenditures with the revenue and to make Las Vegas a more business friendly environment.

Stavros Anthony is a 29-year law enforcement veteran in Las Vegas who currently serves as a captain in the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department. He has also served on the Nevada Board of Regents for eight years.

Anthony says if elected he will resign from the police department and the board of regents to devote all of his energy to serving the citizens of his ward and the city.

“I think it is a job that requires a full-time commitment,” Anthony said.

What distinguishes him from his opponents, he says, is his experience with the issues that matter most to the residents of Ward 4 — crime, education and traffic.

“What I see in Ward 4 is an area that is almost completely built out,” Anthony said. “We are starting to see the neighborhoods change with more graffiti, a gang element and home burglary on the rise.”

The other candidates are Sam Christos, a high school English teacher; Gary Hosea, a record technician in Clark County’s Development Services department; Yvonne Karim, a flight attendant with United Airlines and Teresa “Terrie” Price, a health advocate for non-profit organizations.

Henderson

There are five mayoral candidates in Henderson: Councilmen Andy Hafen and Steven Kirk; real estate agent and former councilwoman Amanda Cyphers, former Henderson Police Chief Michael Mayberry, and attorney Richard Sipan.

Henderson Mayor James Gibson is leaving office in June, after serving the maximum of three four-year terms.

Gibson said he would not be endorsing any of the candidates for mayor.

If either Kirk or Hafen lose their race for mayor, they’ll return to their council seats until 2011, when they will reach their term limits and be ineligible to seek re-election.

Hafen was first elected to the Ward 2 seat in 1987; Kirk was elected to Ward 5 in 1999.

If either councilmen win the mayoral seat, the city will have to run a special election to seat a replacement.

Hafen and Kirk didn’t respond to a request for comment.

When Cyphers left the city council in early 2007 to pursue a real estate career, Henderson’s economy was still growing. But with the downturn, she said she feels a responsibility to the city’s citizenry to “see us through the tough times.”

As mayor, she’d propose a three year moratorium on city fees for investments or businesses setting up in downtown Henderson’s redevelopment area to fill up the vacant space, she said.

She’d also like to see the creation of a small business committee to advise the city council and create a Henderson-specific stimulus package.

“We would circle the wagons” economic-geographically, Cyphers said. “Let’s work together.”

Mayberry served 29 years with the Henderson Police Department, the final six as police chief. He retired in 2004.

Mayberry said his 29 years on the Henderson police force, including six years as its chief, has prepared him to lead the city during this strong recession. During his tenure as police chief, his department was short on jail space and police officers, he said, and despite that, was able to bring down crime.

“I’m the only one (of the candidates) with executive level experience,” he said. “Someone needs to have the experience on making hard decisions.”

Sipan practices personal injury and commercial law. With a city budget shortfall of $50 million, Sipan said he doesn’t support raising taxes or fees to make up the difference. He would also support maintaining staffing levels of fire and police workers, he said.

However, he would advocate cutting plans for new parks — something that requires a financial obligation to maintain. He’d also like to bring in more small businesses by reducing or waiving fees.

In Ward 3, Councilman Jack Clark is also vacating his seat, after serving four four-year terms.

Candidates for Ward 3 are: businesswoman Kathleen Boutin, founder of a nonprofit that helps homeless youth; business owner and charitable foundation founder Brandon Casutt; retiree Bruce Cutler, a former insurance salesman and member of the Whitney Ranch Homeowners Association board; real estate businessman Jim Dunn; Jason Frayer, a part-time history instructor at College of Southern Nevada and consultant to wireless companies; and Cathy Rosenfield, volunteer chairwoman of the city’s Parks and Recreation Department citizens’ advisory board.

North Las Vegas

With Mayor Michael Montandon term limited from running for reelection and an announced candidate for governor, the crowded field to fill his mayoral seat includes three members of the city council.

The list includes Councilwoman Shari Buck, a member of Colorado River Commission and vice-chairwoman of the North Las Vegas Redevelopment Agency.

William Robinson is a North Las Vegas City Councilman who has served on that body since the early 1980s and is currently the Mayor Pro-Tempore.

“I’ve been the mayor pro tem since 1997 so it’s pretty obvious that mayor is the next step if you want to continue your career,” Robinson said. “I had a lot of residents ask me to run — push me into running, endorse me.”

He is a retired outreach consultant for the Clark County School District and a member of the Work Force Investment Board.

Stephanie Smith is also a current council member. She is a music teacher in the Clark County School District and has a bachelor’s degree from BYU. She also completed the Harvard University Program for Senior Executives at the John F. Kennedy School of Government.

Smith has served on the city council since 1997. She is a member of the North Las Vegas Housing Authority Board. She was elected to the Nevada Assembly in 1992 and served one term in the legislature.

Other candidates for mayor include: Ned Thomas, an urban planner for city of Henderson; John 3:16 Cook is a pastor to the homeless.

The Ward 1 council race includes incumbent Robert Eliason, a manager at Juliet Land Company that has served on the council since 2001. His opponents are Rolando Cruz, an employee of Arch Chemicals, and Jeffrey Eggeman, who is unemployed.

Because Smith opted to run for mayor, there is no incumbent in the Ward 3 race.

Ward 3 candidates include: Felix Acevedo Jr., a Clark County employee who is retired from the Air Force; Angelo Carvalho, the owner of Auto Visions; architect John Kelso; Michael Little, a self employed environmental developer; Kimberly McKinney, a financial counselor for UMC; and Anita Wood, a community activist.