Case of shuttered Las Vegas golf course looms over municipal race

By April Corbin

Wednesday, March 29, 2017 | 2 a.m.

The proposed development of a shuttered golf course has taken center stage in a municipal election that historically would have been a snoozer.

Las Vegas City Councilman Bob Beers, a former state assemblyman who has represented Ward 2 since 2012, is being challenged by two first-time candidates — real estate developer Christina Roush and Air Force veteran Steve Seroka. While most incumbents at the municipal level find themselves easily outpacing their lesser-known opponents when it comes to donations and support, Beers has found himself on the defensive for his role in the proposed development of the shuttered Badlands golf course.

Ward 2 in the western part of the valley encompasses Queensridge, the Lakes, Peccole Ranch and parts of Summerlin.

In February, the Las Vegas City Council narrowly approved plans to build 435 condos on a portion of the shuttered Badlands Golf Club, which runs through and adjacent to the wealthy Queensridge neighborhood. Beers, who was one of four council members who voted to approve, is being cast as the deciding vote and has received much blowback from residents opposed to the development.

Beers has defended his vote, arguing that not allowing the owners of the property to develop the land within current zoning restrictions would put the city at risk of being sued and forced to buy the land through a process called “inverse condemnation.” Roush and Seroka both disagree, with the former calling the argument a “smoke screen to hide behind.”

Ward 2 residents have been inundated with campaign flyers about the Queensridge-Badlands controversy. One, sent by a recently formed political action committee, urges voters to “say no to the Siroka-Roush (sic) $250 million tax,” referring to the potential cost of inverse condemnation.

Roush says she sees the mudslinging ads as proof that she is rattling the right cages.

“I (recently) had a conversation with a supporter,” said Roush. “She called me and said, ‘I just got back home and my mailbox was filled with attack pieces. All I could determine is that clearly you are doing something right.’ Beers and the developer are acting in a desperate manner.”

Roush says she represents a much-needed new voice and fresh blood.

Campaign finance reports suggest her message may be resonating.

Roush has received approximately $256,000 in monetary contributions and in-kind donations as of March 14 — more than both her competitors combined.

Beers has received approximately $172,000 in contributions, while Seroka has received $52,000.

Although Seroka trails significantly in fundraising, a few notable names appear on his list of donors, including Clark County Commissioner Chris Giunchigliani (who contributed $2,500) and former Assemblywoman Shelley Berkley (who contributed $1,000).

Municipal elections are nonpartisan, but Seroka has acknowledged he is a Democrat. Beers is a Republican. Roush says she’s an independent.

Lisa Mayo, the communications director for the Beers campaign, said it is unfortunate that the Ward 2 race has become so focused on a single issue.

“The majority of people don’t live in Queensridge or on a golf course,” she says. “They’re like the rest of us — normal middle-class people — and what we’re concerned about is safety in my neighborhood. They put value on other things. Is my fire station funded? Are there police? Is my neighborhood clean? Those are the really important things.”

Mayo says Beers has experience and a solid, transparent track record on those issues.

She adds, “We won’t know until April 4 (Primary Election Day) what resonates with constituents.”

Neither Roush nor Seroka like the characterization of them as single-issue candidates. Both brought up crime as an important issue that they wish were a focal point of the campaign beyond the Badlands.

Roush also brought up education. She said she hopes to work with the Clark County School Board to improve education.

“I know from working in commercial real estate that the first question people ask is ‘How are our schools?’ The answer shouldn’t be, ‘Well, we have a lot of private schools.’ That’s beyond means for most people, and even those schools are at capacity.”

Seroka has taken issue with the city negotiating a 15-year contract extension for Republic Services without seeking alternative options. And, in an election seemingly focused on the future of one high-profile piece of real estate, he points out that Roush is also a developer.

“Do we need more of the same?” he asks. “I say I’m different from either one of them.”

Seroka said his campaign has visited 13,000 households in his ward.

Only 3,879 people voted in the last Ward 2 election.

Early voting is currently underway and ends March 31.

Primary Election Day is April 4. If any candidate receives more than 50 percent of votes, he or she will be declared the immediate winner. If no candidate receives 50 percent of the vote, the top two contenders will face off in a June general election.