Municipal endorsements

Tuesday, May 26, 2009 | 2:07 a.m.

Stavros Anthony and Glenn Trowbridge are running for Las Vegas City Council in Ward 4, represented by Larry Brown before his election to the Clark County Commission.

Both are longtime residents with good credentials. Trowbridge is a retired Clark County executive and is currently on the Las Vegas Planning Commission. Anthony is a Metro Police captain and an elected regent of the state’s public higher education system.

In our opinion, the plan to build a new city hall project is the overriding issue in this race. Trowbridge is for it. Anthony is against it. The nation is in the middle of an economic crisis, and an expensive new city hall at a cost of up to $267 million would tie up Las Vegas’ attention and resources for years. Now is the time to think about consolidating government, not building a needless monument to city government.

The Las Vegas Sun endorses Stavros Anthony.

Henderson City Councilmen Andy Hafen and Steve Kirk are running to succeed term-limited Mayor James Gibson. Kirk and Hafen have had long tenures as council members and, because of that, the voters know them well. In that vein, we don’t know that we can add much more to the voters’ knowledge base.

We can, however, make some observations. This is a critical time for Henderson as it tries to overcome the very real challenges facing it, particularly in this recession.

Kirk impresses us as an official who can bring creativity and imagination to the second-largest city in the state. On the other hand, Hafen has been a consistent and stable official who has demonstrated that his primary concern is for the people of Henderson.

Both are good candidates and the Las Vegas Sun endorses Steve Kirk and Andy Hafen.

Two political newcomers are running for the Henderson City Council seat for Ward 3, vacated by Jack Clark because of term limits. Kathleen Boutin and Cathy Rosenfield have volunteered extensively in the city and bring good ideas and energy, but Boutin is the standout.

Boutin worked in the private sector before founding the Nevada Partnership for Homeless Youth, which has helped thousands of young people. Boutin has shown the ability to work with a variety of people, which is demonstrated in the wide support she has garnered for her campaign.

Boutin has the experience and ability to be a successful member of the City Council. The Las Vegas Sun endorses Kathleen Boutin.