Las Vegas Sun

April 19, 2024

Las Vegas city council candidates

Six candidates are vying for the open Ward 4 seat; Councilman Steve Ross faces one challenger in Ward 6. Budget: What are your best one or two ideas to fix the city's budget shortfall, which is predicted to be $150 million over the next five years? Issues: What one or two issues or projects are you most interested in pursuing on the council, if elected? City hall project: Do you support the new city hall project? If you support the project, why, specifically? If you do not, why not? Prior decisions: Have you differed with any positions or votes that the council and/or Mayor Goodman has taken in the past several years?

Ward 4

Stavros Anthony

Job: Captain, Metro Police; member of the Board of Regents for the state higher education system.

Age: 52

 I believe this a ripe time to take a look at consolidation of city and county services and departments to eliminate duplication, save money and better serve residents. We need to actively recruit businesses that create good-paying jobs. Two areas I will focus on are protecting our neighborhoods and education. I will be working in our neighborhoods to ensure we are paying attention to crime, traffic and decay. I do not support a new city hall. The one we currently have is in good shape and meets the needs of city government. I believe the City Council and the city government have been doing a good job. The only issue that comes to mind is the city hall project.

Sam Christos

Job: High school English teacher; part-time real estate agent and part-time blackjack dealer at the Mirage.

Age: 33

 Labor organizations have expressed a willingness to make small concessions. Even the smallest concession can yield a savings of tens of millions of dollars. We must be prepared for a surge in those needing shelter and counseling. The city must create jobs. It is the duty of government to spend money on public works projects during a depressed economy. This creates jobs, and we will lose our community unless jobs are created. I'm more concerned with the future than with the past.

Gary Hosea

Job: Record technician in Clark County's Development Services Department.

Age: 56

 We need to better use our resources as provided by the taxpayers. In other words, we need to provide more government accountability and efficient operations by staff. We should enforce existing laws to include code enforcement. This will bring in revenue. We also need to redevelop the downtown to include better mass transit. I support the redevelopment of the downtown area. However, I feel our citizens should decide if they want a new city hall. The recent vote by the council to not let the citizens' voice be heard when it come to a new city hall and the expansion of casino properties around the 215 Beltway.

Yvonne Karim

Job: Flight attendant with United Airlines

Age: 59

 We must closely examine those programs that may have outlived their usefulness and consider them for elimination. The "re-invention" of city-owned properties so that they may be used for alternative uses to create incremental sources of revenue. I will advocate the wishes and desires of Ward 4 constituents, while always being aware of the fact that this project has the possibility of creating 13,000 new jobs. The City Council's unanimous approval of SuperPawn SUP (special use permit) here in Ward 4 (at Cheyenne and Durango).

Teresa "Terrie" Price

Job: Health advocate for nonprofit organizations

Age: 51

 I would like to see a four-day workweek for many workers. That would save energy and gas costs. I would market more jobs to Las Vegas. A new city hall would cost more than $270 million to build, and most of the people I've talked to do not think this is the time to build something we do not need. We should be marketing Las Vegas much more conservatively than the city has done in the past.

Glenn Trowbridge

Job: Chairman of the Las Vegas Planning Commission

Age: 65

 Achieving a blanced budget will require reductions in the number, classification and compensation of city employees. The city will need to do a serious review of the types of services provided. Continue to provide essential services while controlling the costs of government and increase maintenance funding for streets, parks and other public services in Ward 4. A construction project of this magnitude would provide jobs and help stimulate our local economy. However, I will not support this project if it means increased taxes for residents. The city has not done the job necessary to inform residents of the methods of financing the Redevelopment Agency and its projects, and the benefit to the city's tax base. The city has not done an adequate job of creating a "Rainy Day Fund."

Ward 6

Steve Ross

Job: Ward 6 city councilman; secretary-treasurer of the Southern Nevada Building and Construction Trades Council

Age: 46

 There are two important steps the council is working on now. First, we are reviewing every department and function of the city. Second, we are implementing a number of programs to reduce staff costs. Public safety in Ward 6 is my top priority. And, jobs for our residents is my priority for our city as a whole. The city outgrew its present facility years ago. Private money, not tax dollars, would build the new project, which would be leased to the city. No operating money will be taken from public schools. Construction costs are low right now. Finally, the project will create thousands of jobs and revenue. Those who remember previous councils remember when personal animosity reigned and little got done because of it. This council understands the errors of those ways while understanding that we represent some very different sections of Las Vegas.

Jennifer Taylor

Job: Lawyer with Robertson & Vick, a complex civil litigation firm

Age: 42

 We are all having to tighten our belts, and limit and prioritize our spending to only things we need, not things we simply want. The city needs to engage in the same budget analysis, limit frivolous expenditures and avoid incurring additional debt. True government transparency and citizen input in the zoning and land use process are important to me. I would work on rebranding Las Vegas as a hub for the research, development and training of the next generation of green technology. This is not the time for the new city hall project, which does not guarantee the creation of permanent jobs, and instead would only guarantee the city take on additional debt. I have often differed with positions or votes by the council and/or Mayor Goodman. I believe the council has been mistaken in allowing poorly vetted contracts with developers to be approved, and misguided because they have allowed unwanted or irresponsible growth that favors developers.