Henderson Council candidate drops out of race

The race for the Henderson City Council Ward 1 seat has been narrowed to three following the withdrawal of one of the candidates during a second candidates forum Monday.

Debra Ann Lemancik-Grant formally announced she was rescinding her bid for the council and throwing her support behind Elizabeth Trosper, who is running against Fred Pratt and first-term Councilwoman Amanda Cyphers. The former Spanish teacher did not give a reason for her withdrawal.

Of the four candidates for the Ward 1 seat, only Trosper and Cyphers were present at the first forum held last week.

About 75 residents, candidates and their supporters turned out for the neighborhood-sponsored forum at Frank Lamping Elementary School.

Many of the questions asked of the candidates focused on the same issues facing the nation's fastest-growing community -- managing growth, maintaining the quality of life and diversifying the economy -- as the ones brought up at last week's forum.

Candidates also discussed their views on the proposed deconsolidation of the Clark County School District to form Henderson's own district.

Trosper, a former actress from California who moved to Henderson four years ago, said providing quality education, while outside the council's purview, is one of the issues she is focusing on during her campaign. Trosper said she would like to implement a child abduction prevention program.

Pratt, who has served on Southern Nevada's Economic Opportunity Board, said he is in favor of charging developers impact fees of $5 per square foot to pay for the city's continued growth. "It's either that or we keep paying higher and higher taxes," he said.

Cyphers, who was jubilant over picking up her 4-week-old adopted son a few hours earlier, said her presence at the forum was proof of her dedication. The mayor pro tem said public safety is her top priority. She added she is working to commission an impact study for the deconsolidation of schools.

In Ward 2, longtime Councilman Andy Hafen said among the highlights of his 12 years on the council were the facts the city has the most parks per capita in the state and the creation of the best fire-training center "this side of the Mississippi."

One of Hafen's opponents, Ann Barron, former economic development director for the city, said that in addition to supporting more public safety personnel and equipment, she would make the upgrading of existing neighborhoods a priority.

The other Ward 2 candidate, William Brandt, a civil engineer who served as a city councilman in Illinois, said he wants to see an additional forum provided for residents to voice their concerns to the City Council, somewhere other than council meetings. "We need to let people have another shot at the council," he said.

In Ward 4, Steve Kirk, chairman of the city's Parks and Recreation board, said he is running for the council because he "loves the community and now it is time to give back." He is running against Guy Van Wyck for the seat of two-term Councilman David Wood, who decided not to run for re-election.

Van Wyck, former vice chairman of Henderson's Citizens Advisory Committee, said he helped rewrite the ordinances that have kept taverns out of neighborhoods and created the city's employment centers in order to help diversify the economy.

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