Ward 1 candidates bring local government experience to council race

By Miranda Willson

Thursday, May 30, 2019 | 2 a.m.

Short-term rentals emerged in recent years as one of the biggest issues impacting Ward 1, the central-southern portion of Las Vegas. That’s why outgoing city councilwoman Lois Tarkanian pushed forward sweeping regulations to limit short-term rentals popularized by Airbnb.

Whoever succeeds Tarkanian as the Ward 1 council member pledges to keep short-term rentals out of the ward as much as possible, but the two candidates vying for the seat would approach the issue differently if elected.

Candidate Robin Munier, who worked as a liaison and special assistant in Tarkanian’s office more than a decade, said she would keep existing rules in place, which don’t allow new short-term rentals in entire homes and forbid more than one short-term rental within a 660-foot radius. She also vowed not to approve additional special permits for short-term rentals.

“In Ward 1, the residents [have] been loud and clear,” Munier said. “There’s only been one door I went to that was in favor of short-term rentals. Everyone says no.”

Munier’s opponent, former city employee Brian Knudsen, is more critical of the regulations pushed by Tarkanian, saying they don’t go far enough to protect residents and questioning whether the city can effectively enforce the rules.

“I would like to work with fellow councilors on better approaches to managing short-term rentals,” Knudsen said. “I think we need to take another step or another approach at managing how short-term rentals are regulated in our community.”

Endorsed by Mayor Carolyn Goodman, labor and public safety unions and the Metro Chamber of Commerce, Knudsen won the April primary, taking 1,245 votes, or about 27% of the vote. Munier, who has been endorsed by her “mentor” and friend Tarkanian, came in second in the April primary with 924 votes, or about 20% of the vote.

Knudsen and Munier expressed similar priorities for the ward: maintaining quality of life for residents and growing the Medical District located in the ward. But while Knudsen pledges to also tackle issues not traditionally discussed by council members, such as education and healthcare access, Munier says constituents are more concerned about hyperlocal issues, such as public safety and crime.

Working in the Ward 1 council office has given her a unique, on-the-ground glimpse into everyday issues important to constituents, she added. She also helped start neighborhood associations in Ward 1 and served on a resident traffic commission.

From those experiences, Munier says she knows how city departments and services work, and how to solve practical, neighborhood-specific problems like traffic.

“That’s why lot of people say no one knows the ward better than I do,” Munier said.

Knudsen, who launched a city program called Downtown Achieves, touted more big-picture experience he gained from working at City Hall, where he often met with community leaders, local nonprofits and residents from throughout the city.

His proudest accomplishments from his time working in the City Manager’s Office include expanding preschool education in Las Vegas and creating a new permanent department, the Department of Youth Development and Social Innovation. If elected, he would explore ways that the city council could provide “supportive services” to schools and youth programs in the ward.

“My personal belief based on talking with voters and residents in our community is that every elected official needs to be talking about children and education,” Knudsen said.

Now running his own consulting company, Knudsen remains active in local issues, serving on the Regional Transportation Commission’s Resource Advisory Committee and facilitating stakeholder meetings. Next week, he is facilitating a conversation between the region’s cities, Clark County and the Department of Health and Human Services to discuss how to develop a collaborative approach to ending homelessness.

Knudsen emphasized that aligning the efforts of nonprofits and government bodies is key to solving homelessness, a major issue in Ward 1 where over 20 percent of residents live below the poverty line.

“What I’ve been advocating for, for many years now, is a more coordinated and aligned approach between city, county and state,” he said.

Munier, meanwhile, called for the creation of a homeless services hub that goes beyond the existing Homeless Courtyard, also including daycare facilities, a shelter, and support for those suffering from substance abuse and trauma. She pointed to a similarly comprehensive homelessness facility in San Antonio, called Haven for Hope, as a model.

“That’s what we need here,” Munier said.

When it comes to the future of the Medical District, both candidates say that Las Vegas needs to support the UNLV Medical School and work to grow medical services in general, especially in light of southern Nevada’s doctor shortage.

“We have a huge senior population, and we want them to be able to come to the Medical District and utilize the facilities there and not feel the need to go out of state for treatment,” Munier said.

If elected, Knudsen pledged to take an active role in helping develop the Medical District, especially working to fill some of the vacant land in that neighborhood with new medical offices, clinics and hospital.

“Quality of life in Ward 1 has a lot to do with the development of the Medical District,” he said.