Las Vegas Sun

March 29, 2024

Looking in on: Suburbs:

Candidate explains why he doesn’t live in house he owns

North Las Vegas switched his ward, and he’s living where he wants to run

Click to enlarge photo

Angelo Carvalho

Questions have been raised in North Las Vegas about where Ward 3 City Council candidate Angelo Carvalho lives.

He and his wife own a 1,800-square-foot home in North Las Vegas — in Ward 2.

On his candidate declaration Carvalho lists the address of a home owned by Harry Shull, the owner of Celebrate Homes, a city Planning Commissioner and the former president of the Southern Nevada Home Builders Association.

Carvalho, who owns a car-customizing business and serves as chairman of the city Planning Commission, said he rents that 2,000-square-foot home for $1,200 per month because he wanted to run for the Ward 3 seat.

The house he owns, which he now rents out, used to be in Ward 3 before the city redrew ward maps in 2005.

He said he would have moved then, but he began an 18-month tour in Iraq as an Army reservist.

Carvalho was the first council candidate in North Las Vegas to announce his candidacy.

“I’ve lived in North Las Vegas for 13 years,” he said. “I had to move because the boundaries changed.”

He said he wanted to run in Ward 3 because he knows the area better and Councilwoman Stephanie Smith must step down this year because of term limits.

Plus, he said a friend of his, Nelson Stone, plans to run for the Ward 2 seat next year when Councilman William Robinson must step down because of term limits. Stone, a former Planning Commissioner, ran against Robinson in 2003.

Carvalho finished second in a six-candidate primary and will face Anita Wood, a stay-at-home mother.

“Most of it is a matter of public record,” Wood said about the residency concerns. “I don’t want to get too negative in the campaign.”

•••

A bill introduced in the state Assembly would change the dates of municipal general elections from June of odd numbered years to November of even numbered years, to coincide with national general elections.

Clark County Registrar of Voters Larry Lomax estimates the change would save taxpayers $1 million.

The bill comes after a primary in which turnout was low, as usual.

Typically between 10 and 15 percent of voters participate in municipal elections in Las Vegas, Henderson and North Las Vegas. By comparison, the 2008 general election attracted a turnout of about 80 percent in Clark County.

North Las Vegas spokeswoman Brenda Fischer said the bill did not fit the legislative platform passed by the City Council in February, which specifically opposed changing the election schedule.

Mayor Mike Montandon said that, despite the city’s official position, a change in election dates would be good for the city because it would benefit from cost savings, higher turnout, and by allowing newly elected officials time to create a budget for the following fiscal year.

The Henderson City Council is neutral. City Clerk Monica Simmons said it’s tough to argue with the cost savings, but worries about the local races being buried on a ballot filled with state and national races.

“If you’re a candidate and your election comes up against a presidential election, it could be difficult to raise money,” Lomax said.

Las Vegas supports the bill.

•••

After a five-year effort, a nonprofit group in Boulder City has accomplish its dream.

The group called See Spot Run will lease 3.5 acres near Veterans Memorial Park for $1 a year for the city’s first dog park.

The group has raised more than $60,000 for the construction of the park, which will include separate areas for big and small dogs, shaded picnic tables for the owners, and water fountains for the pets.

The biggest challenge was finding a place to build it. The first spot the group picked had drainage problems.

The second had easement restrictions.

But now it’s found a spot for Spot.

It will likely open this year.

Join the Discussion:

Check this out for a full explanation of our conversion to the LiveFyre commenting system and instructions on how to sign up for an account.

Full comments policy