North Las Vegas City Council Ward 1 candidates

By Conor Shine

Thursday, March 28, 2013 | 2 a.m.

Note: Questionnaire responses were not received from candidate Jeff Eggeman.

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  Courtesy

  Isaac Barron

  Age: 43

  Occupation: School teacher, Rancho High School; adult education teacher

  Other experience: Hard work in a number of jobs as a young man — pest control, taxi driver, anything I could do to support my family and pay for my college education. I’m also experienced in community organizing, working with diverse groups and advocating for those who don’t always get heard.

  Questions:

  1.) As the city continues to struggle with budget deficits, what are your best one or two ideas to help balance the budget?

  Let’s be frank. None of us have a “silver bullet” to solve these problems. If we did, the problems would be solved. … I don’t believe we can cut our way to prosperity. We can’t tax our way there either. We can grow our way, but that takes changes in how we operate. I have met businesspeople who want to establish a business in North Las Vegas. They tell me over and over how many obstacles they have to deal with and how long the process drags out. We absolutely need to be certain that health and safety issues are always addressed, but we also need to start helping these investors, not hindering them. … I won’t vote for expensive and unproved projects that flunk a cost-benefit analysis. I will fight for my ward. I will insist on safe streets, our fair share of parks and recreation, and the little things that make a big difference — adequate curbs and gutters, quick graffiti eradication and speed controls in neighborhoods.

  2.) What are one or two specific issues or projects in your ward you’d address as a City Council member?

  An interchange by Interstate 15 and Interstate 215 that would provide easy access to the undeveloped industrial corridor over near the speedway would help bring new investment to North Las Vegas. Toyota wanted to open a plant, but lack of an interchange was a problem. Saying that, major highway interchanges are enormously expensive, need careful study, and require local, state and federal cooperation. It won’t happen quickly.

  More manageable, more affordable and more easily accomplished are the small but meaningful changes Ward 1 needs. Adequate street lighting, curbs and gutters, and sidewalks where they are broken or in disrepair, quick graffiti eradication and speed controls in neighborhoods all provide an impetus to residents to take pride in their neighborhoods.

  3.) What role do you think the City Council should play in addressing the foreclosure crisis in North Las Vegas? Would you support a program using eminent domain to assist underwater homeowners, similar to one proposed by Mortgage Resolution Partners?

  I’m certainly open to examining all options, including this one. However, of all the areas where there is risk of overreach by government, eminent domain has to be at the top of the list. I will attend the workshop the NLV City Council will schedule to discuss the program further with MRP. I’m also aware of the law of unintended consequences, and I don’t want to make North Las Vegas appear to be a bad risk for potential home mortgage loans in the future.

  4.) Have you differed with any positions or votes taken by the City Council in the past several years? If so, please give specific examples.

  I haven’t walked in the shoes of the City Council. I haven’t had all the briefings, heard all the arguments and read all the supporting data over the past several years that a sitting council member has access to, so I’m not going to second guess the actions of the present council. I want to start fresh, apply the principles I spoke of above, and stay true to the Ward I represent, the needs of the city and to myself.

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  Courtesy

  Jared Hardy

  Age: 38

  Occupation: High school teacher

  Other experience: Laborer, project manager, Realtor

  Questions:

  1.) As the city continues to struggle with budget deficits, what are your best one or two ideas to help balance the budget?

  I believe the bulk of the answer to our deficits includes growth. The city has a very lean budget at this point and a turnaround will have to include expansion of jobs and the tax base. I believe this will simultaneously: provide services that make life more enjoyable, create jobs, reduce foreclosure, and allow the city to expand needed and wanted services.

  2.) What are one or two specific issues or projects in your ward you’d address as a City Council member?

  My ward has perhaps some of the greatest potential of any place in the valley. There are vast tracts of undeveloped land along with a few highlights. The VA hospital is there and the boundaries of the ward surround the speedway. I see each of these as springboards that can be used to spur greater opportunities in development, housing and education.

  3.) What role do you think the City Council should play in addressing the foreclosure crisis in North Las Vegas? Would you support a program using eminent domain to assist underwater homeowners, similar to one proposed by Mortgage Resolution Partners?

  The No. 1 thing the city should be doing to address foreclosure in our city is encouraging the expansion of business and development. There is nothing more powerful to address empty homes than a citizenry with the jobs and buying power to fill them.

  4.) Have you differed with any positions or votes taken by the City Council in the past several years? If so, please give specific examples.

  The city passed a $250,000 proposal to do a study that essentially was designed to explain the city's overall condition and potential. I believe those funds could have been better spent on other things.

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  Courtesy

  Juan Martinez

  Age: 31

  Occupation: CCSD support staff

  Other experience: Mortgage industry

  Questions:

  1.) As the city continues to struggle with budget deficits, what are your best one or two ideas to help balance the budget?

  North Las Vegas is bankrupt. Raising taxes is not the answer; that will just take more money away from hard-working North Las Vegans. And we don't need any bailouts. What this city needs is fiscal responsibility. We need a thorough review of the budget. City bureaucrats, many of whom don't even live in North Las Vegas, should not be making multiple times the salary of the average taxpayer.

  2.) What are one or two specific issues or projects in your ward you’d address as a City Council member?

  My ABC Plan is tailored to benefit all North Las Vegas citizens by A: attracting small business through programs that make it easier and cheaper to start a business in North Las Vegas, B: balancing the budget through smart cuts, and C: cleaning up the city code so that everyday people can understand it. These are essential steps in revitalizing our community.

  3.) What role do you think the City Council should play in addressing the foreclosure crisis in North Las Vegas? Would you support a program using eminent domain to assist underwater homeowners, similar to one proposed by Mortgage Resolution Partners?

  I used to be in the mortgage business before my company went under in 2008. I don't want to see that kind of crash happen to our city again. Eminent domain and other government manipulations are not the solution; they're part of the problem. By cutting spending and bringing a culture of free enterprise back to North Las Vegas, all citizens will benefit and we'll start to see real recovery.

  4.) Have you differed with any positions or votes taken by the City Council in the past several years? If so, please give specific examples.

  We obviously need to see some major changes with the City Council; the fact that North Las Vegas is bankrupt attests to that. That massive palace we call City Hall didn't have to be built so extravagantly (at taxpayer expense). The budget should have been dealt with years ago. My goal is to make the necessary changes that will get our city back on track.