North Las Vegas Mayor-elect Pamela Goynes-Brown poses for a photo at North Las Vegas City Hall Wednesday, Nov. 17, 2022.
Thursday, Aug. 31, 2023 | 2 a.m.
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Editor’s note: As he traditionally does around this time every year, Brian Greenspun is turning over his Where I Stand column to others. Today’s guest is North Las Vegas Mayor Pamela Goynes-Brown.
As a longtime resident of North Las Vegas, a prior educator and councilwoman, and now the first Black mayor in Nevada history, I have seen the city of North Las Vegas develop and grow economically and culturally over the past decade. This is not due to luck or circumstance; rather, it is the direct result of the hustle and heart that have come to define this city and our hardworking and dedicated residents and team members.
The spirit of the North Las Vegas community is strong, and we as city leaders are working collaboratively with residents to shape and build a bright future here for generations to come.
Currently, North Las Vegas is the largest minority-majority city in the state and one of the most culturally diverse cities in the nation. These titles come with tremendous responsibilities but also awesome opportunities – to lead in equity, inclusion and opportunity for all of our residents.
To understand how far we’ve come, glance back. My father spent 20 years as a North Las Vegas city councilman, but the faces you see in City Hall today are not the faces my father saw.
Our city council and team truly represent our residents. In the past year alone, the city has welcomed our first Black female police chief, our first Black female assistant city manager, our first Filipina-American chief of staff and our first Latina councilwoman. Ward 1 has long been represented by our first Hispanic councilman, who was also Southern Nevada’s first Hispanic mayor pro tem, and our city attorney was the first Filipina-American to serve in that role. Last year, me and our assistant city manager were the first to run a council meeting as two African American women in a leadership role.
We are also succeeding at recruiting police officers from diverse backgrounds who understand firsthand the residents they serve.
My heart swells thinking of my father when I walk around City Hall and see the variety of team members’ faces greeting me with a smile.
We have prioritized transparency for residents and are stripping away barriers that historically have prevented them from interacting with government. We recently launched a real-time translation service for public meetings so Spanish-speaking residents can participate more fully. The city of North Las Vegas is the first jurisdiction in Nevada, and one of the first in the country, to provide this service! More languages are in the works.
North Las Vegas has long been a leader in the valley in industrial development, which creates jobs for residents, helps diversify the local and state economies and expands the city’s tax base to provide additional amenities for residents. Over the past decade, our city team recruited companies to North Las Vegas that created more than 63,000 new jobs with an average hourly rate of over $33! We are providing opportunities for residents that are diverse across industries, pay levels and skill sets, and that offer stable, sustainable careers, not just jobs.
We also have begun the largest Redevelopment Agency project in the history of North Las Vegas, starting with the redevelopment of 19 acres in the downtown Lake Mead/Las Vegas Boulevard corridor. Working closely with stakeholders, we are putting together a new downtown that will make services and amenities more easily accessible to residents, with mixed-use development including medical offices and health care facilities, shops, restaurants, parks, housing and public spaces where the community can gather together.
It is no secret that North Las Vegas used to be a dining dessert. Residents were challenged to find healthy, sit-down restaurants. Today, in addition to all the restaurants coming downtown, the city is home to a 4-mile stretch of Craig Road known as Restaurant Row. With more than 24 new restaurants opening over the past three years, it has become a regional dining destination!
One of my top priorities as mayor is the revitalization of the city’s parks and green spaces. I recently introduced Project Sparkle, committing $11 million to reinvigorate every city park south of Craig Road. Each and every park will receive a major update, such as a new splash pad, play equipment, dog park or upgraded lighting. These public spaces are the gems of our neighborhoods, and we want to be sure that all of our parks sparkle brightly for residents.
My colleagues and Iserving North Las Vegas are committed to creating great opportunities for all of our residents, many of whom for too long have been underprioritized because of historic and systemic inequities. That includes representation in government, access to health care, stable career opportunities and proximity to amenities such as restaurants, parks, libraries and more. Through hustle and heart, we are delivering on what our residents say they need and want!
As someone who grew up in North Las Vegas, I am incredibly proud of everything the city and this team have accomplished so far, and I look forward with great excitement to finding even more ways to engage with and serve our residents.
