Council member Linda Strickland files to run for Boulder City mayor

By Dylan Scott

Tuesday, Feb. 1, 2011 | 9:42 p.m.

Boulder City Councilwoman Linda Strickland filed on Tuesday to run for mayor in June’s general election.

Strickland, who was elected in 2007, is the only opponent so far for Mayor Roger Tobler, who announced his candidacy for re-election in December. Part of Strickland’s reason for running for mayor, instead of seeking re-election as a council member, was Tobler’s “lack of leadership,” she said.

“It’s obvious that there are some things spinning out of control in our city,” Strickland said. “Things need to be put back on track...I’ve seen some of the problems, and I do think we need a different leader to lead our City Council.”

Boulder City’s mayor serves as a member on the five-person council, but the mayor chairs the council’s meetings and fulfills other responsibilities as the city’s elected leader.

She cited Boulder City’s lawsuits against petitioners of several ballot questions from November’s election, for which she has served as an attorney for the defendants, as an example. She said such litigation was “completely contrary to our idea of representative government.”

Other important issues in Boulder City are the increased traffic since the Hoover Dam bypass bridge opened in October and the need for more accountability in City Hall, Strickland said.

Earlier this year, Strickland was one of two council members subject to a recall petition, which was denied in July by the Nevada Supreme Court.

As she bids to remain part of the city’s increasingly heated political scene, Strickland said her time serving on the council should prove beneficial.

“The last four years have been interesting times. I’ve learned a lot about politics,” she said. “I think I’m a pretty resilient gal.”