Another Big (Municipal) Election Reform Bill

Last week, there was plenty of angst over the low turnout in this year's Southern Nevada municipal elections (for Henderson, Las Vegas, Mesquite, and North Las Vegas). That's why we're now seeing renewed calls to move municipal elections to even numbered years (when they'd coincide with county, state, and federal level elections).

However, that's not all. There's another bill pending in the Nevada Legislature that promises to deliver another major change to municipal elections up north and down south if passed into law. Currently, Las Vegas and North Las Vegas essentially have district elections for City Council. However, Henderson City Council elections are citywide. When John Marz ran for a full term this year, he didn't just have to campaign in Ward 3 (where he lives, and where he's supposed to represent). Marz had to run citywide, which meant Anthem and MacDonald Ranch residents may have had at least as much say in the representation of Green Valley North and Whitney Ranch on the City Council as Green Valley North & Whitney Ranch residents.

And this isn't just happening in Henderson. Up north, Reno, Sparks, and Carson City have the same system. Even though they technically have wards (or Supervisorial Districts in Carson City), elections are all citywide. So again, there's the risk of one region and/or faction determining the fate of all city offices.

Am I the only one seeing something disturbing here? Apparently not, since Senator Pat Spearman (D-North Las Vegas) introduced SB 457. And today, it advanced in committee.

The vote was 3-2, with the two Republicans on the committee, Sens. James Settelmeyer, R-Minden, and Barbara Cegavske, R-Las Vegas, opposing it.

Currently, all voters in the cities of Reno and Sparks vote for every single member of the city council regardless of geographic ward. The bill would change the elections so voters only vote for the council member that represents their ward. (Reno would also be required to get rid of its at-large council member and create a sixth ward in 2016.)

Sen. Pat Spearman, D-North Las Vegas, who sponsored the legislation, said that change is needed so the voters in just one or two wards are not determining the outcome of elections.

"Those more affluent wards are the ones that are really electing people," Spearman said Tuesday morning. The bill would also affect elections in Henderson and Carson City.

So now, the bill moves to the full Senate. We'll have to wait and see what happens on the Senate floor.

In the mean time, legislators should consider this. They have to run in their own districts, win support in their own districts, and earn the trust of constituents in their own districts. And City Council Members in Las Vegas & North Las Vegas essentially do the same. So why must it be so different in the other major Nevada cities?

Final Municipal Election Primary Report

So has anything changed since last night? Well, not enough to actually change the results that looked quite apparent last night. So what happened?

In Henderson, Mayor Andy Hafen slipped just under 55%, but that's still more than enough to avoid a runoff. Incumbent Ward 3 Council Member John Marz now stands just under 52%, and that's also more than enough to avoid a June runoff. The only runoff happening here will be for Municipal Judge, as incumbent Mark Stevens only scored 42% to Sandy DiGiacomo's 41%.

Again, Las Vegas will have no June runoffs at all. Ward 2's Bob Beers and Ward 4's Stavros Anthony are still above 75%. And while Ward 6 tightened up a bit, Steve Ross still finished just below 53%, which means no June runoff.

Yet while the other two major Southern Nevada cities were ho-hum, North Las Vegas was full of drama last night. We saw both a stunning rebuke (for one) and an epic comeback (for the other) as Former State Senator John Lee defeated incumbent Mayor Shari Buck 53% to 35%. Buck won't even have the chance of a June runoff, since Lee scored over 50%. However, Ward 1 will go to June runoff, as Isaac Barron scored 45% to Jared Hardy's 25%. Yet Ward 3 won't, as incumbent Anita Wood stands at just under 52%.

Unfortunately, turnout was horrific. Overall turnout was just over 11%. Henderson turnout hovered over 12%, while Las Vegas and North Las Vegas turnout only topped 10%. Yes, it was really that bad.

It's saddening to think that so few people participated in the process. As we discussed yesterday, this is the level of government we interact with most often. This was our chance to have our say in the direction of our communities and the state of our roads, parks, community centers, police & fire services, and more. Yet, only a select few of us even bothered to participate.

There's been talk of moving the municipal elections to even numbered years. I had been leery of that before, since local elections will likely be overshadowed by federal and state level elections. But at this point, is anyone even noticing municipal elections. I guess almost 45,000 people did, but that's still quite pathetic.

Otherwise, last night's results weren't really frightening. Rather, it looks like a certain "newspaper" was embarrassed badly in its effort to meddle in Henderson City Hall politics. And "tea party" efforts to defeat Steve Ross in Las Vegas backfired. At least most of those who showed up seemed to tire of the kind of zealotry that's wreaked havoc in past cycles & other elections.

So status quo reigned supreme for most of the municipal elections yesterday. That's not entirely bad... But it would have been nice to see more voter participation.

Municipal Elections UPDATE

So today was the final day of voting for the Southern Nevada municipal election primaries. Now, we have results... At least from early voting. But in this case, that may be all we need to figure out the final results for at least most of these races.

So what's happening? So far, most incumbents are cruising.

In Henderson, Mayor Andy Hafen has likely just been reelected. He has just over 57.7% with early votes, so at this point it's unlikely he'll even have to face a runoff at this point. Perhaps Hafen really lucked out with the lack of serious opponents, as did John Marz in Ward 3. Marz now sits at 52.2%, so he's closer to the edge. He must be hoping none of his opponents caught any late momentum, so that he can also avoid a June runoff. So far, the only likely runoff looks to be for Municipal Judge (Department 1), as incumbent Mark Stevens is locked in a close race with Sandy DiGiacomo with nearly 42% a piece.

Las Vegas will likely have no June runoffs. Both Bob Beers in Ward 2 and Stavros Anthony in Ward 4 romped the early vote with over 75%, so they've likely been very securely reelected. Steve Ross wasn't quite as fortunate in Ward 6, but he will likely also be reelected as he took 55.3% of the early vote.

If Henderson & Las Vegas are mostly lacking in the drama, then North Las Vegas is swimming in it tonight! For one, this city may already have a new Mayor waiting in the wings. John Lee led incumbent Shari Buck 51.7% to 37.2% in the early vote, so Buck may not even have a chance for redemption in the June runoff! However, there will be a Ward 1 runoff, as no one cleared 50% there. Isaac Barron at least came somewhat close with almost 41%, so he may have an edge over Jared Hardy (who only scored 27.7% so far). And in Ward 3, incumbent Anita Wood probably won another term tonight, as she scored 54.4% in the early vote.

So far, the status quo seems to be holding in most of the Southern Nevada cities. There just may be some interesting drama brewing in North Las Vegas. Just stay tuned here at Nevada Progressive. Tomorrow, we'll post another update on the big municipal races.

Why Vote Today? It Really Matters!

So it's finally here. Today is Election Day in Henderson, Mesquite, North Las Vegas, and Wards 2, 4, & 6 of Las Vegas. Municipal election primaries for City Council (and Mayor in Henderson & North Las Vegas) are today, and voting continues until 7:00 PM.

But come on, this is just city council. Why is it important to take time out of one's busy schedule to vote today? Let me explain.

Local government is most likely the government one interacts with every day. Local government takes care of the roads. And it runs the parks. And it runs the community centers. And it provides police & fire protection. Local government may not seem important compared to that on the state & federal levels, but it actually is.

So if you want to have your say on what will happen to the local community center, the state of your neighborhood's roads, and current police policies, you need to vote today. It's really as simple as that. You can only have your say on the state of your community if you participate. And the most basic way to participate is to vote.

Again, vote centers will be open until 7:00 PM tonight. So don't forget to vote today. Your community depends on it.

PAC's & Mudslinging in North Las Vegas

And it's election time again! Wait, didn't we already have one last November? Yes, we did... For federal, state, and county offices. This spring, however, features municipal elections for all Clark County cities.

North Las Vegas is one of these cities. And considering North Las Vegas' recent history of salacious scandals and other forms of bad press, this election may very well become a referendum on the current troubled state of the city. That's why we're seeing all sorts of political jockeying and bare-knuckle campaigning emerge.

Take, for instance, the emergence of a new PAC opposing North Las Vegas Mayor Shari Buck's reelection bid.

A political action committee, helpfully calling itself The Coalition for Truth in Government, has formed to fund an independent expenditure effort that will benefit Buck's main foe, ex-state Sen. John Lee.

Political consultant David Thomas formed the PAC, and he told me Monday he has his first mailer ready to go. So who's funding it?

Thomas wouldn't tell me, but he did acknowledge that at least one union is involved. (Buck has fought with NLV labor groups over budget-cutting.)

"These are people who are angry with Shari Buck," Thomas told me. "I believe she's doing a lousy job....a horrendous job. I'm not sure there's a government that has been run as badly, and the public needs to know. I don't think she's qualified to be the mayor of any city."

This is what happens when a Mayor and City Council use legally questionable tactics to violate city workers' rights. And this is what happens when a Mayor presides over one of the "10 Worst Run Cities in America". And I guess this is what happens when a Mayor "leads" one's city to the brink of insolvency. And perhaps this is what happens after a Mayor's spouse played a shadowy role in the great city council debacle in the last round of municipal elections. We really shouldn't be surprised this is happening to Shari Buck.

However, there is a strange and surprising twist to this story: John Lee is using this to attempt a political comeback! Yes, that's right. After his stunningly lopsided SD 1 Democratic Primary defeat by Pat Spearman last June, Former State Senator John Lee began crafting his return to the political stage by sending out "feelers" for a potential run for Nor'town City Hall. He must have liked the results. So now, John Lee will again be on the ballot.

As mentioned above, this race has already turned nasty. Buck has already been sending attack mailers against Lee noting his pursuit of multiple offices in the past 18 months (NV-04, SD 1, Nor'town Mayor, did I miss any?). Lee has obviously been hitting Buck over her own record as Nor'town Mayor. And now, PAC money has started to flood the city.

Early voting has already begun today in North Las Vegas, so campaigning there is already hot and heavy. And with 2 other candidates in the Mayoral Ring, there's a possibility of a June runoff. So Nor'towners need to brace themselves. This may be a long, expensive, and dirty slog all through the spring.

Unspinning (Chris Milam's Henderson) #StadiumGate

Well, that didn't take too long. The City of Henderson is now in negotiations to settle its law suit against Chris Milam over the disputed stadium project south of The M Resort.

City government spokesman Bud Cranor confirmed that settlement talks are being held.

“At this point, we do not have an agreement,” he said.

An attorney for Milam did not immediately return a call Monday seeking comment.

Milam laid out plans for an indoor arena and three stadiums in Henderson for his proposed Las Vegas National Sports Complex, though no teams have committed to the facilities. The complex was expected to cost more than $1 billion.

In late January, City Hall sued Milam and several others working with him on the project. They were accused of using a city-approved development pact to buy the 480-acre project site at a cheap price, about $10.5 million, and then sell it “piecemeal” to residential and commercial developers.

Last Wednesday at the Henderson Democratic Club's candidates' night, Mayor Andy Hafen talked about the city's desire to build a major league sports stadium on that land south of The M Resort. He ardently believes it's the right place. It's close to The 15, yet it's currently BLM managed open desert. There are no worries about eminent domain, traffic redirection, or any of the other, more urban concerns of the other stadium proposals (Caesars, UNLV, Downtown Las Vegas, etc.).

Perhaps this just hit at the wrong time. It certainly seemed to involve the wrong developer. Warning signs of Chris Milam appeared as early as 2011. That's why both the City of Las Vegas and Clark County respectively rejected Milam's stadium plans in 2011. It was only after those two municipal governments turned down Milam that he then struck a deal with Henderson to build that stadium on the open desert south of The M.

So it's not as if the City of Henderson is completely blameless in this debacle. Even Mayor Hafen himself has admitted the city went too fast in the past in pursuing development. I can understand he and others at Henderson City Hall think that open land is just ripe for stadium construction. They just need to make sure there's a viable plan and a trustworthy developer who can actually bring that plan to fruition. At least now, the city will be getting something for the many headaches created by this Milam scandal. And at least this debacle was stopped before it could truly cause mayhem.

Still, one can't let Milam off the hook for this. Chris Milam defrauded the City of Henderson by promising to build a stadium, then pulling out of the contract at the last minute to flip the land for residential development. Not only was Milam breaking his promise and using shaky legal ground to breach a contract, but he also could have caused real damage to the local real estate market by facilitating a glut of new houses just as the market has begun to absorb the over-supply of new homes from last decade.

While many media pundits have been pointing fingers at Henderson City Hall, we can't ignore the clear malfeasance on the part of Chris Milam. And we certainly shouldn't buy into his lawyers' spinning of him into some sort of "hero". It's easy for them to provide colorful quotes to the media. However, they seem to have a much harder time explaining what their client did and why he did it.

This isn't a simple, black & white kind of story. There are truly fifty shades of crazy here. Henderson has had to learn to do due diligence to ensure a deal is actually what its developer claims it to be. And Chris Milam will have to learn to take his phony baloney grandiose "ideas" elsewhere. No one may ultimately come out a winner here, but hopefully Henderson residents won't have to lose on this.

Henderson Council Member John Marz @hendems

What a difference a year makes. Remember this?

Yet last night, a wild card emerged that shattered many observers' expectations of what was to ensue at the Henderson Council Meeting to fill the Ward 3 vacancy. Henderson Planning Commissioner John Marz was another of the 14 applicants, and he really distinguished himself during question time. Unlike most of the other applicants, Marz was able to explain in depth the problems Henderson, and specifically Ward 3, face. He spoke about retail vacancies, home foreclosures, the pending Science Center and Union Village developments near The Galleria, and how his business experience can help him build consensus on the council to solve the problems the bad economy showered upon Henderson.

Oh, and then Marz dropped a bombshell. He promised not to run for a full term in 2013. That immediately sparked a bad reaction from Ward 1 Council Member Gerri Schroder, who declared that the city needs a long-term commitment from the new Ward 3 pick, and that he or she should be ready to run for election. Sam Bateman, on the other hand, took it well and said that this solution is one that best preserves the voters' right to ultimately decide on a long-term replacement in 2013. Ward 2 Council Member Debra March mostly agreed with Bateman and found it noble that Marz was not trying to get a political lift with this. Mayor Andy Hafen sounded quite impressed with Marz, but also noted Schroder's concerns about the need for a long-term replacement.

Whoops. John Marz also came to last night's Henderson Democratic Club candidate forum. And yes, he came as a candidate. Last night, Marz explained why he changed his mind.



Earlier, Marz went into more depth in explaining what he wants to continue doing on the Henderson City Council.





Marz was asked a few more tough questions. One was on development and growth.



And as mentioned earlier, this is the greatest challenge for Henderson going forward. For most of the last 25 years, the city has been accustomed to rapid growth and easy development decisions. Yet since "The Great Recession" hit, Henderson has had to adjust to a new reality.

Meanwhile, many neighborhoods in Ward 3 are facing a different kind of development problem. As the neighborhoods of Green Valley North age, they're increasingly facing the same issues of blight and decay that have been plaguing other older neighborhoods throughout the Las Vegas Valley. While some neighborhoods have had vigilant HOA's out to preserve quality, others have not been as fortunate. And thoughout Ward 3, there's aging public infrastructure that needs to be maintained... And even rehabilitated in some areas.

Last night, John Marz promised to continue advocating for proper stewardship of the neighborhoods of Ward 3. And he suggested his past year of experience on the council gives him a leg up on the competition in doing that and working to balance the city's budget. He has about a month to convince voters of this.

Henderson Mayor Andy Hafen @hendems

Last night at the Henderson Democratic Club, Henderson Mayor Andy Hafen took questions from the audience on the current state of the city. He first described what's going right...





Then he arrived at the Chris Milam stadium scandal. Someone was bound to ask him about it. And surely enough, several did.

Here's how Hafen handled it.







Since the case is now in court, there's only so much Hafen and other city officials can now say. Still, that didn't stop Hafen from saying he still wants some kind of stadium on that land just south of The M. He thinks that the vacant site surrounded by open desert offers limitless possibilities. After all, it can have its own exit off The 15. And it won't be encumbered by the kinds of traffic snarls and other limitations of the other stadium proposals in more densely developed urban areas (UNLV, MGM, Caesars, and Downtown Las Vegas).

However, the stadium controversy wasn't the only issue on voters' minds last night. There were also questions on development. In particular, someone from Anthem asked about traffic along Eastern Avenue. Hafen replied that the city initially made a mistake in designating only one point of entry into (and exit from) Anthem & Madeira Canyon in Eastern Avenue, but that's being fixed with the expansion of Volunteer Road to The M and the possible new 15 exit at Cactus Avenue.

Just as he said at the local house party last month, Mayor Hafen said that the last 25 years of epic development in Henderson (and Clark County overall) have been a significant learning experience. Over time, the city has figured out good practices... And not so good practices. And that has allowed Henderson city government to improve, become more efficient, and become wiser in planning future growth.

Even with the recent recession and stadium turmoil, Henderson still has the healthiest finances of all the municipal governments in Southern Nevada. And the city has been able to achieve this, and potentially return from deficit to surplus by next year, without creating the kind of strife with public servants that we've seen elsewhere in Southern Nevada. Mayor Hafen was especially proud of these two achievements. And he's hopeful his record at City Hall will secure reelection this spring.

We'll have to wait and see what voters decide.

Henderson Ward 4: How the Race Was Won

A whole lot of people were surprised last night when the Henderson Ward 4 election was called early for Sam Bateman. I wasn't. In all the times I walked with him, I saw the broad and continually growing support he was gathering throughout town.











It's really one of those success stories one wants to cheer. Sometimes, "Mr. Smith" really can make it to City Hall.

LV CityLife Gets It. Will the Rest of the City?

Here's an interesting curveball.

[...I]n the case of Chris Giunchigliani, what "career politician" really means is that she's spent two decades mastering the workings of the two largest non-fed governments in Nevada. She's racked up an enviable record of tangible achievement: creating the bond legislation that helped build more than 100 new schools without a property-tax hike; securing the funding for the Smith Center for the Performing Arts, one of the high points of Oscar Goodman's mayoralty; earning a solid reputation for supporting education (she spent years as a teacher).

So she's got skills. Enough that one of her constituents mounted a vote-for-Goodman campaign so as to keep Giunchigliani at the county.

Hers is the sort of hard-won expertise Las Vegas needs at this time. Some economists and politicians believe a recovery is under way; yet, as this endorsement is being composed, a worried headline tells us that housing prices have dropped to where they were in 1999, the year Goodman was elected. These, then, are enormously complicated times, and the city needs a leader -- however symbolic that leadership sometimes is -- who can expertly squeeze every bit of efficacy out of government.

And she is a leader. If she doesn't have Oscar-grade charisma, she does have a forceful presence. Some say she's abrasive; we say she doesn't suffer fools gladly. She'll call out staffers who don't do their jobs, yes -- but that's why we elect strong-willed people, to ensure that our representatives run the government, not the bureaucracy. Plus, she's fearless: As a commissioner she stood up to Republic Services and other big players without regard to the political consequences.

Wow. CityLife did what the other papers were too afraid to do. Instead of making "the safe pick", they actually endorsed who they believe is the best candidate.

So are Las Vegas voters doing the same? The LA Times actually noticed Las Vegas is having this election.

So Las Vegas barely bristled when Oscar ran his mouth about wanting to cart the homeless to an abandoned prison, open legal brothels in downtown Las Vegas and cut off the thumbs of graffiti taggers (none of which came to fruition). A grade-schooler once asked what he'd want if stranded on a deserted island. His answer: gin.

"Goodman is so prone to making outrageous and offensive comments, it is hard to be shocked by him anymore," a Las Vegas Sun editorial said in 2005. Two years later, he won his third four-year term with more than 80% of the vote.

Oscar's backers view him as a symbol of their devil-may-care city, which he defends with as much zeal as he once did reputed Mafiosos. They applaud him for railing against President Obama for saying bailout-funded executives shouldn't jet off to Las Vegas — though Oscar's fit probably drew more attention to the throwaway remark.

The Las Vegas mayor's role is mostly ceremonial. The mayor runs City Council meetings and can declare emergencies, but lacks veto power over the other six members of the council. Still, Oscar is credited with persuading nightclubs, art galleries and even a clinic devoted to brain health to open in still-scraggly downtown.

"When I go door to door, I find I'm running against a name ... people think it's Oscar they're supporting instead of Carolyn," said Giunchigliani, who's trying to push voters who normally blow off local elections to the polls. A former state lawmaker who bested more than a dozen contenders to face Carolyn Goodman in a runoff, she's been more focused on business licensing and urban planning than, for example, photographing a Playboy playmate (another Oscar stunt).

"He was flash and jazz more than substance," Giunchigliani said. "It worked then, but this is now."

And this is the problem that Las Vegas faces. I can say this because I travel to other "big cities" and talk to other "big city folk" who show looks of repulsion when I describe Las Vegas city government. It's really the 800 pound gorilla in the room that many here don't want to acknowledge.

So instead, we're seeing the unoriginal and pointless attack ads Carolyn Goodman is dumping onto our airwaves. Oh, and by the way, is this also Carolyn's awkward attempt to distance herself from Oscar? After all, he has espoused the exact same views on home rule, education funding, and state revenues that she's attacking Chris G for now.

It's sad to see Carolyn Goodman really has nothing else to run on. What is her plan for the city? Does she even have one? How will she create jobs? What will she do about the homeless downtown? What about revitalizing West Las Vegas? What about home foreclosures?

Oh wait, she actually does have a plan for that!



So how is Carolyn Goodman even earning votes? Poker chips? A celebrity endorsement or three? How does that really help Las Vegas?

Again, notice the contrast.





So what does Las Vegas need? And what do Las Vegas voters really want? I guess we'll know for sure next week.

On the First Day of Early Voting...

You've been following along with me as Henderson's remaining city council race has turned ugly. However, those mailers aren't the whole story of what's happening here. In fact, here's a glimpse of what happened on Saturday.





Sam Bateman was walking again. This time, the crew hit Old Henderson... And found some very interesting results.

I only found one house going for "the other guy". On the other hand, one person already voted for Sam by mail and three were planning to vote early that weekend! I even spoke to someone familiar with "the other guy", and he was quite eager... To vote for Sam Bateman.

As I said Friday, I think the "State of Nevada" segment really illuminated the differences of the Ward 4 candidates and the seriousness of the choice we have to make. And to my delight, it was looking like the people I spoke to in Old Henderson on Saturday had been doing their own homework and reaching the same conclusion.

When everyone headed back to the Vons parking lot, the other walkers were sharing similar stories. It was quite fascinating to hear others who got similar results. Perhaps I should have been surprised that voters in the part of town likely most familiar with "the other guy" are voting for Sam... Except that I already started to see this coming.

The Gloves Come Off...

The municipal campaigns are reaching home stretch, and the gloves are now coming off!



Well, what can I say? It may be "negative", but there is definitely truth to this. Come on... Try to make sense of this!



Why is Carolyn Goodman running? Seriously. I gave her a chance and waited to see what she would offer policy wise. So far, she just seems to be throwing out a whole lot of confusing hot air. I guess this is why she's been avoiding debates with Chris G.

In the mean time here in Henderson, this is getting more attention.





Yep, I finally received it in the mail. And while Mike Mayberry may be throwing a hissy fit over it, he still refuses to talk about whether or not he actually needs $40,000 per year in disability benefits... Or for that matter, whether his "fiscal conservative" platform actually means anything.

(And by the way, I still haven't heard any response from Mayberry's campaign on his explicit endorsement of homophobic and transphobic legislative bigotry.)





Look, I'm usually not one to enjoy negative campaign ads. They can be grating, annoying, and downright demeaning to the ("small d") democratic process. But when candidates refuse to meet with local voters and debate actual issues of substance, this is what ends up happening. Seriously, Carolyn Goodman and Mike Mayberry only have themselves to blame for not offering anything to allow for serious discussion of local policy.

Wait, There's an Election Here?!

Yep, there really is. In fact, early voting starts this weekend. And sadly, I'm wondering if most Henderson and North Las Vegas residents even realize this.

Here in Henderson, I've been talking with neighbors. And while many do seem ready to vote, others forgot that Henderson has municipal elections every odd year (though that may change in the not-too-distant future). For all we know, it may be a small pool of a few thousand Henderson voters that ultimately determine our next City Council Member in Ward 4.









So of course, we're seeing the mail. So far, as you can see above, I've only been receiving positive pro-candidate mailers. I even got a letter from a neighbor in support of Sam Bateman! I thought that was a nice touch.

However, there is a clear choice in this election... And both candidates aren't hesitating to air out those differences.

The last two men standing in the race for Henderson's Ward IV City Council seat have no shortage of experience.

The type and amount of experience that each one considers relevant to the seat that will be decided in the General Election on June 7, however, has emerged as the dividing issue in the campaign.

In many ways, that was to be expected, what with the race pitting former police chief Mike Mayberry - a 29-year veteran of the Henderson Police Department - against the younger Sam Bateman, a Clark County prosecutor and chairman of the Henderson Planning Commission. [...]

"I think I'll bring a new perspective," Bateman said. "Being somebody who's not been in city government for a long time, I can bring a fresh perspective, look at things in a different way and ask questions that other people wouldn't ask." [...]

"I think I'm in a better position, day one going forward, based on the type of issues we deal with on the Planning Commission that are going on in the city right now, to hit the ground running on day one and move forward," Bateman said. "... I think we just need to turn the page, and that's what I represent."

[Mike] Mayberry said he feels a deep connection to the city that has come from the decades in which he has lived and worked in it.

"I truly believe in that old axiom that 'People don't really care how much you know until they know how much you care,'" he said. "I truly want us to be the premiere city in Southern Nevada and I think that with my experience, my background and my being a fiscal conservative, I can help get us there."

Already, we're hearing certain buzzwords and catchy phrases get tossed around, such as "long time", "fiscal conservative", "fresh perspective", and "turn the page". Mayberry has been in Henderson government longer than I've been alive, while Bateman is the "new kid on the block". Bateman isn't afraid to critique past city budget decisions and development plans, while Mayberry boasts of his "institutional knowledge" and support from key local power players.

Mayberry has been endorsed by Mayor Andy Hafen, former County Commissioner Bruce Woodbury, "kingmaker" Sig Rogich, and a few others. However, Bateman isn't without his own key supporters. Current County Commissioners Mary Beth Scow and Steve Sisolak, along with outgoing City Council Member Steve Kirk (this vacated seat is the one we're talking about), and the Las Vegas Chamber of Commerce and Greater Las Vegas Association of Realtors, have endorsed Bateman. For what was supposed to be a sleepy local election, there's a whole lot of star power popping in now!

So what is this election about? And why should we care? Remember, local government is the government we see, feel, talk to, pay, and experience most of the time. Municipal elections may not seem as "sexy" as a big ticket Presidential race, but they are the elections that determine the kind of government we actually deal with every day.

So hopefully, turn out will be better than many are expecting as people realize there is an election starting this weekend (as early voting starts Saturday!) and they need to make up their minds. Before I get into further details on my own thoughts on Henderson Ward 4, I just wanted to make sure anyone else here doesn't forget that we need to vote soon. ;-)

Scenes from the Campaign Trail: Old Henderson

Often when we think about Henderson today, our minds immediately ascend to well manicured, white-collar suburban enclaves like Green Valley and Anthem. However, we often forget about the history of Henderson, especially the living history still standing in Old Henderson.

Old Henderson definitely has a different vibe to it. Walking the streets, one can observe how the neighborhoods have matured since being built 50-70 years ago as housing for industrial workers. It's still very much a blue-collar area, and the older, less uniform houses and apartment complexes stand in stark contrast to the master plans and HOA drama of newer, more glamorous parts of town.

Yesterday, Sam Bateman knocked doors in Old Henderson after marching in the local Heritage Parade. And of course, I joined along, as I was curious to see what voters here were thinking. There were complaints about the police not doing their job here, concerns about rude neighbors throwing loud parties at night, and mistrust of certain politicians that have long neglected this part of the city.

You see, we have our own inner city problems to tackle here in Henderson. It's not all "Real Housewives" style drama in gated McMansion communities here. We also have an urban core in need of attention, and really in need of some old fashioned TLC. I must admit I was glad to see Sam knocking on doors here and listening to the residents, especially as someone running in Ward 4, an area better known for our culture of white-collar suburbia.

Hopefully Sam and other local Henderson leaders remember that we really are a diverse city full of neighborhoods with their own unique needs. Old Henderson doesn't end at Water Street and Lake Mead Parkway. There's more work to be done, and locals there are hoping for the city and local businesses to work alongside them.

Scenes from the Campaign Trail: Stonewall @ Arts Factory

On Wednesday, Stonewall had its monthly meeting at The Arts Factory in Downtown Las Vegas. And as expected, there were some interesting guests. Coming off last week's nail-biter of a primary, Chris Giunchigliani dropped by to chat with folks on the state of the race and why she's "in it to win it".

She explained her commitment to "building a community a neighborhood at a time", why she was concerned about AB 548, getting film production studios to make more movies and TV shows in Las Vegas, and much more. When she's on a roll talking good policy, one just doesn't want her to stop.











Las Vegas Council candidate Bob Coffin also stopped by, and he also went into detail on some local policy matters on his mind. In particular, he was discussing the need to keep The 18b Arts District on the front burner as Downtown rehabilitation and renovation continues. Even as Fremont East is becoming the city's new "urban hot spot", Coffin was reminding the crowd that there are people and small businesses there in 18b that still need some TLC from the city.

Another interesting guest at Wednesday's gathering was Henderson City Council candidate Sam Bateman. He stopped by to thank Henderson members for supporting him, and to remind everyone that Ward 4 will be on the ballot again in June. He also discussed inner city redevelopment in Henderson, non-discrimination policies, and local government transparency.

Heh. And you thought everyone would be asking them about marriage and "Glee". ;-)

See, we queer folk can think bigger and more broadly. And it was nice to hear all this fun local policy talk at the Stonewall meeting. My ears kept ringing for joy!

Alas, if only the rest of the campaign season could be like this...

The Morning After: Let's See What Happened!

Here are the municipal primary results. And here is how election night was spent throughout the valley.



We started in Henderson, where both Gerri Schroder and Debra March surprisingly coasted to outright wins with 54% each! I first stopped at Debra's party, and we were eagerly awaiting those first early vote numbers. And as soon as we heard them, I had a good feeling.

Debra was quite upbeat, and the local Henderson crowd was getting pumped up. Ah, the scent of victory!



Gerri's party was next. I must say she had the best food of the bunch, as well as the snazziest room at The Henderson Convention Center. And the mood here was quite upbeat as the numbers kept pouring in and Gerri stayed well above 50%. Despite the powerful opposition and last minute attacks on her personal finances and her marriage, Gerri prevailed.

Score another one for Team NVP! ;-)





From there, it was onto Las Vegas, where the campaigning was hot and the results were tight! In Ward 3, Bob Coffin and Adriana Martinez were neck and neck all night, with Martinez starting narrowly ahead in the early vote but Coffin finishing just 49 votes ahead.

Adriana's party was full of energy, and full of people young and old, black and white and brown, men and women, and so much more. The music was blasting and people were dancing. Oh yes, and Nevada's top cop, Catherine Cortez Masto, even made a guest appearance!





At Larry Brown's party last night, tension and nerves were in the air. The dancers may have been juggling fire outside, but inside The Arts Factory Brown's team was busy analyzing the results and juggling its own fire. They were most definitely in for the ride of their lives!

I had a chance to talk with Larry last night, and he really sounded frustrated over the mess he fell into last week. He said he SUPPORTS SB 283 domestic partnerships, and that he does not favor any sort of anti-LGBT discrimination. I still don't understand why he would even bother answering Richard Ziser's insanely stupid questionnaire, but hopefully he's learned his lesson with this. I just find it sad that such a smart guy would get caught in such a silly and stupid clusterf*ck like that.





And oh my, did we save the best for last, or what! After all the drama, all the highs and lows, and all the insanity of Las Vegas' first round of mayoral campaigning, Chris Giunchigliani scored the #2 slot to face Carolyn Goodman in the June runoff.

And oh yes, this race is far from over! Chris G made sure her crowd of supporters knew that last night. She even took to Twitter to reiterate the point! Indeed, "This is when the fun begins."

Of course, there are even more local results to talk about and even more to discuss as the June runoff campaign starts today. The fun will really be underway throughout Southern Nevada this spring!

Programming Note: Election Night Tomorrow!

I hope you remembered to vote. If not, get going on that tomorrow! Then after the polls close, check back here tomorrow for live coverage of the results.

Should be interesting... ;-)

April Fools? Las Vegas' Mayoral Race Devolves to Silly Season (& My Last Minute Endorsement)

Face, meet palm...

Several of the leading candidates for Las Vegas mayor have come under fire this week for their surprising lack of knowledge about basic current events.

First, at a debate Wednesday night hosted by Si Se Puede, a Democratic Hispanic group, City Councilman Steve Ross was left speechless by a question asking whether he supports the DREAM Act, which would create a path to citizenship for qualifying undocumented young people who were brought to this country as children.

"I don't know enough about that to answer one way or the other," Ross said.

The DREAM Act has dominated headlines for years and is of particular interest in Nevada because of its support and advocacy by Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid. Las Vegas students have protested to advance the measure, and supporters and opponents have written dozens of editorials on the topic.

And if that wasn't bad enough, try to follow the (lack of) logic of Carolyn Goodman's stance on domestic partnerships and marriage equality as Steve Friess tried to get a coherent answer out of her this week.

A crystallized commentary on that for me is difficult because you know I am about the rights of the human being but I’m also about legal rights. I’m certainly accepting of anybody and anybody’s rights to determine for themselves their own lifestyle as long as it’s not causing problems for anybody else and it’s legal. One of the things I remember asking years ago of my uncle who is a very astute lawyer because I didn’t understand, I had many friends and I’ve had friends all my life who are gay. I said I don’t understand why a legal contract wuldn’t suffice to bind two people together. You and I would have a legal contract, same sex let’s say, and I would agree that everything that’s mine it’s 50-50. If I die you would get everything, split down the middle. All I would say is why a legal binding contract wouldn’t work for a couple.

To be fair, Goodman's campaign manager, Bradley Mayer, later texted Friess to clarify that she SUPPORTS SB 283 and would not favor any effort to repeal domestic partnerships. Still, I'm baffled as to why she couldn't just spit that out to Friess when she had a chance to.

And what's with none of these candidates (save for Chris Giunchigliani, clearly the ONLY serious and qualified candidate running!) knowing anything on The DREAM Act? Don't any of them remember anything from last year's campaign?



Or are Larry Brown and Steve Ross joining Victor Chaltiel in courting the Sharrontology vote?



Carolyn Goodman really needs to brush up on her facts if she's serious about being Las Vegas' next Mayor, and both Steve Ross and Larry Brown should be ashamed of themselves for stooping down to such base homophobia and xenophobia just to court the "Christian Taliban" teabaggers who will never vote for either of them anyway. It's embarrassing that Las Vegas' mayoral candidates are mostly rich with embarrassments, and it's frustrating that all the rest of us who live outside the city have to see our issues get eclipsed by media frenzy over "teh stupid, it hurts".



Apparently, Chris Giunchigliani is the only candidate willing to take this job seriously and do her homework. Oh, and it also helps that she's always been pro-equality and she doesn't change her answers just to pander to xenophobes.

Mr. H8 Rears His Ugly, Bigoted Head... AGAIN!

In case you were wondering when perpetual professional bigot Richard Ziser would start attacking Nevada families again, we now know he's back and he's trying to shove more than a few anti-equality zealots down our throats in this year's Clark County Municipal Elections. What? You don't believe me? Here's the voter guide!

Now just to be clear, the candidates supporting #6 are saying LGBTQ families deserve no legal recognition and no human dignity. The candidates opposing #7 and #12 want our schools to do nothing as LGBTQ kids to be bullied to death (often literally!). Basically, the candidates who are standing with Richard Ziser agree to carry out his agenda to attack many thousands of Southern Nevada families just for who they are.

In addition, these candidates want to take away women's right to make their own health care decisions. And they want to take away our religious freedom. And they want to waste time (and our local tax dollars!) on xenophobia.

Here in Henderson, city council candidates Ed Hamilton, John Simmons, Ron Hubel, and Mike Mayberry are pro-bigotry. In North Las Vegas, Carl Gatson and Wade Wagner are pro-bigotry. In Las Vegas, Steve Ross is apparently pro-bigotry again. And you can read the rest of the list to see who to watch out for in other Clark County cities.

I just thought you should know.

Wait, There's an Election in Henderson, Too?

Heh. Last night, I caught this on TV...



At last, a campaign ad NOT from one of the usual Vegas Mayoral suspects! ;-)

And not only is Debra March now on TV, but she's also all over Henderson! Here she was at a recent house party...



And here she was at The Sons of Erin St. Patrick's Day Parade last Saturday.





And I know she's been walking all over the place and meeting with voters regularly to talk about what they want to see in Henderson city government. And even better, she has actual answers, rather than the usual canned candidate crap. Stuff like this obviously warms my crazy policy wonk heart. ;-)

(Disclaimer: I will be voting early today, and I intend to vote for Gerri Schroder, Debra March, and Sam Bateman for Henderson City Council. Yes, my dears, you may consider this my one set of official 2011 election endorsements!)



Sam Bateman was also at the parade last weekend. He gathered some friends to walk with him there, then he gathered more friends to walk with him in Solera (just UP the hill from Sun City Anthem!) after the parade.

And interestingly enough, folks there are now realizing we have our own election here. They're realizing Henderson has its own issues, and that we need sound, sane leadership to keep Henderson running smoothly. Sam got some good reception last Saturday among what's usually a tough audience in Solera.

And now that early voting is underway, we can finally make our voices heard in this election. If you haven't done so yet, please remember to vote early if you're in Henderson... Or if you're in one of the other Clark County cities with municipal elections for that matter!

Remember, the city you save with your vote may be your own. ;-)