Las Vegas Sun

March 18, 2024

Diverse new members sworn in to Las Vegas City Council

Las Vegas City Council Swearing In Ceremony

Christopher DeVargas

Members of the Las Vegas City Council, Olivia Diaz, Victoria Seaman, Michele Fiore, Mayor Carolyn Goodman, Stavros Anthony, Brian Knudsen and Cedric Crear stand before the council chambers following an Oath of Office ceremony, Wed. July 3, 2019.

The Las Vegas City Council is fully staffed and women-majority. The body welcomed its first two Latina council members and its first openly gay council member at today’s meeting.

Las Vegas City Council Swearing In Ceremony

From left, Councilwoman Michele Fiore, Mayor Carolyn Goodman and Councilman Starvros Anthony take part in the Oath of Office ceremony for newly elected council members at City Hall, Wed. July 3, 2019. Launch slideshow »

Former city employee Brian Knudsen was sworn in as the Ward 1 councilman, former state Assemblywoman Victoria Seaman was sworn in to represent Ward 2, and former state Assemblywoman Olivia Diaz was sworn in for Ward 3.

Knudsen is the first openly gay person to join the council, according to the LGBTQ Victory Fund, and was joined by his husband and two children as he took the oath of office. Afterward, he thanked his family and his campaign and said he looks forward to working with the other council members as well as city staff.

“I’m so very grateful to come home,” said Knudsen, referring to his years as an employee in the City Manager’s Office.

Seaman, who took the oath of office with her husband by her side, said she is honored to represent Ward 2 and to work alongside former state Assembly colleagues Diaz and Ward 6 Councilwoman Michelle Fiore.

“I really want to thank my family (and) my husband. We worked really hard. You put your family through a lot when you run for office,” Seaman said.

Diaz took the oath of office with more than a dozen family members present. She thanked her family, her campaign team and the voters in Ward 3.

“The little girl who grew up on the east side of Las Vegas now gets to represent them. That’s so exciting,” Diaz said.

Diaz and Seaman are the first Hispanic women in history to join the body.

Mayor Carolyn Goodman said she is excited to work with three other women — a first since she has been on the body — and noted the diversity of political perspectives. Seaman, Fiore and Ward 4 Councilman Stavros Anthony are Republicans, while Ward 5 Councilman Cedric Crear, Diaz and Knudsen are Democrats. Although a Democrat, Goodman jokingly referred to herself as “nonpartisan.”

“We really do miss having a full council with whom to discuss ideas and be briefed, and so we get so much more input when every single ward is represented,” Goodman added. “So this is going to be particularly exciting.”

Later in the meeting, council members unanimously approved the appointment of Fiore as mayor pro tempore.