Wednesday, June 21, 2023 | 10:53 a.m.
The Las Vegas City Council today approved Mike Janssen as the next city manager, after working out the specifics of his employment contract.
Janssen will take over the job Sept. 1, replacing Jorge Cervantes, who is retiring after 25 years with the city. Cervantes has been city manager since Nov. 15, 2020.
Janssen will earn a $285,000 salary plus benefits.
Janssen, the city’s executive director of infrastructure and public works, said he came from Rochester, New York, to Las Vegas in 1992 as an intern for a few months.
“I saw then what I see now, and that is Southern Nevada and Las Vegas is such a great town for opportunity and it's been such a great town for me,” Janssen said.
At a June 7 meeting, six of seven council members voted to appoint Janssen as city manager.
Councilman Cedric Crear was the lone vote against the appointment. He said he had nothing against Janssen but wanted a wider search to include internal and external candidates.
Tamika Shauntee, a policy strategist with the American Civil Liberties Union of Nevada, expressed concerns about the selection process.
She said the council “completely avoided any of the other options (for hiring) and decided instead to make an appointment.”
Shauntee did not voice any opposition to Janssen, but said the “transparency and the way that you go about appointments needs to be open and follow the certain rules of law.”
