14 people vying to fill vacant Henderson City Council seat

By Aida Ahmed

Tuesday, Jan. 10, 2012 | 7:29 p.m.

More than a dozen people are vying for the Henderson City Council Ward 3 seat left vacant when Councilwoman Kathleen Vermillion resigned.

Applications continued to trickle in to the city clerk’s office Tuesday as the 5 p.m. deadline approached. In total, 14 people have expressed interest in the seat, which will be filled by a council appointment.

The council will go through the applications and conduct interviews before selecting a new member at a special meeting on Jan. 23. A ceremonial swearing-in will be held Feb. 7.

Among the candidates are attorneys, members of the Henderson Planning Commission and a retired Clark County School District principal. The applicants are:

• John F. Marz, a resident of Henderson for 26 years. He has sat on the city’s planning commission for two and a half years.

“I think I have a good business background. Most of my career, I’ve been in business and I know how finance works. In next couple of years, there is an incredible opportunity for Henderson to grow, and I’d like to be a part of that,” he said.

• Catherine D. Rosenfield has lived in Henderson for 23 years. She was a member of the Parks and Recreation Board for a decade and was board chair for five years. She has volunteered for the city for many years and served on various committees.

Rosenfield ran against Vermillion for the Ward 3 seat in 2009.

“I’ve always been interested in the development of Henderson. I helped make the Whitney Ranch Recreation Center a reality,” she said. “I love the way Henderson has grown, and I would like to be involved to continue that growth in the right direction.”

• Milton E. Doyle has been a Henderson resident for almost 22 years and has served on the Opportunity Village board of directors and the Community Block Development Grant Committee for five years. He’s also been on the Henderson Chamber of Commerce board for three years.

“I can bring a lot to the council. I have 39 years of business experience,” he said. “I’ve been in the insurance and real estate business since 1973. When residents of Ward 3 need help, I think I’ve got the experience of working one to one.”

• Gary J. Riggs has been a Henderson resident for seven years and has served on his homeowners association board. He runs his own insurance agency.

“I have a personal interest in the future of Henderson. I’m a resident and also a business owner and want to maintain the city’s integrity and development in the business arena,” he said. “I’m excited about the opportunity.”

• Rick Dreschler has been a resident of Henderson for 21 years and is a retired banker.

“I feel that some of the banking background has a lot to do with the issues that they decide on, like land use. It comes into play as a banker — and budgeting, we did a lot in the banking business, and construction lending,” he said. “I saw it in the paper and it seemed fun, interesting and challenging.”

• Beverly Daly-Dix has lived in Henderson for 30 years. She is a retired Clark County School District principal who helped open Harriet Treem Elementary School. She is a volunteer for several medical organizations and manages rental homes.

“I think it would be very important to have someone with my skills, and I could make a significant contribution. We need to be doing more with less.

“It takes creativity and a team player and a consensus builder, and I think I fit the bill,” she said. “I think that Henderson has done an excellent job of improving in the last 30 years...I would like to be a part of the future.”

• Jason P. Stoffel has been a Henderson resident for seven years. He is an attorney whose area of emphasis is on divorce, custody and family law. He is a member of the Mediators of Southern Nevada, the Clark County Bar Association and is an arbitrator volunteer with the fee dispute committee of the State Bar of Nevada.

“I’m always looking for a new challenge,” he said. “I have a fresh mind-set and a good reputation and have shown service to the community.”

• Erin Lale has been a Henderson resident for 10 years. She has served on the Southern Nevada Adult Mental Health Advisory Board and is the author of “Skinflint Hints,” a book on how to save money.

“I’m interested in the seat because I’m interested in helping my community, and that seems to be best way. I’m an expert on frugality, and I hope to help the city save a lot of money.”

• Sean M. Fellows has lived in Henderson for almost six years. He was appointed by the County Commission to the Henderson Library District board and has been on the Henderson Planning Commission for almost a year.

“I think I have proven track record in the community. I want to work with the current council, and I think there are a lot of quality-of-life issues (like) job creation and economic development (to work on) to ensure Henderson remains a good place for families and businesses to come to,” he said.

• Kurt Faux has been a resident of Henderson for 22 years. He is an attorney in Henderson and has served on the Attorney Disciplinary Committee and Fee Dispute Committee for the State Bar of Nevada.

“I have four children who I have raised here and I have taken advantage of what Henderson has had to offer,” he said. “This is an opportunity to give back to the community that served me so well. I’m also a business owner here, and I’m very interested in the business-community aspect and helping businesses.”

The following people have also submitted applications, but could not be reached by phone on Tuesday:

• Thomas Eugene Haugh is a two-year resident of Henderson who works for the

Department of Veterans Affairs as an account management supervisor.

• Dr. Sam E. Elia is a six-year Henderson resident and is retired. He listed the Henderson Democratic Club and the Leadership Council for Democracy among his professional and civic affiliations.

• John M. Kehoe has lived in Henderson for a year and did not list an occupation on his application.

• Fred Honore is a 31-year resident of Henderson and is retired.