Las Vegas Sun

March 28, 2024

4 Clark County Commission incumbents file for re-election

Commissioners To Investigate Professional Guardianship System

Steve Marcus

Clark County District Chief Judge David Barker, left, responds to a question during a commission meeting at the Clark County Government Center Tuesday, April 21, 2015.

The field is set for the Clark County Commission races.

The candidate filing period for the November election ended at 5 p.m. today. As expected, all four Democratic incumbents up for re-election — Steve Sisolak, Marilyn Kirkpatrick, Larry Brown and Lawrence Weekly — filed to reclaim their commission seats. All have done significant fundraising for their campaigns.

Seven other candidates have thrown their hats in the ring, challenging the incumbents. They’ll be vying for four-year terms on the county’s most powerful governmental body, which oversees the county budget, public safety services and regulations on the Las Vegas Strip, among other responsibilities.

Candidates elected will be entering a tight fiscal environment given historically low property tax revenue. City and county leaders alike recently have been calling for changes to property tax caps, which were enacted into law in 2005 to protect homeowners from steep tax increases as property values skyrocketed. But the recession caused property values to plummet, cutting into local governments’ funding stream.

Here’s a look at who entered the race. For some candidates, biographical information was not available and they did not return phone calls.

District A

Steve Sisolak, who was elected as a commissioner in 2008 and currently serves as chairman, has the fundraising lead among all candidates. The Democrat had raised roughly $1.78 million dollars by the end of 2015, according to campaign expense reports filed earlier this year.

Although Sisolak’s name has been widely circulated as a potential state gubernatorial candidate in 2018, the commissioner has kept mum about his political aspirations.

“We’ll see how this election goes,” Sisolak said during a recent interview. “I don’t know. I enjoy what I do here.”

Michael Thomas, a Republican, filed to challenge Sisolak. District A covers large portions of the south and southwest valley.

District B

This is the most crowded commissioner race.

Las Vegas City Councilman Steve Ross, a Democrat, is one of three people challenging incumbent Marilyn Kirkpatrick, the newest member of the seven-member Clark County Commission. In August, Gov. Brian Sandoval appointed Kirkpatrick, a Democrat, to serve out the remainder of Tom Collins’ term after he resigned.

Last year, Ross announced his intent to run for the District B commission seat in the 2016 election. His campaign website indicates a desire to improve the region’s job growth, transportation and technology infrastructure as well as public safety.

Kirkpatrick appears to have a fundraising edge so far. By the end of 2015, Kirkpatrick had raised $611,691, while Ross had raked in $527,523, according to campaign expense reports filed in January.

Two Republican candidates also are vying for the seat.

Kevin Williams, 48, a facility director for Boyd Gaming, has never run for office but figured the time was right to enter the race given Kirkpatrick’s short tenure. Williams said he has been bothered by graffiti and crime in his neighborhood, near Lake Mead and Hollywood boulevards, and wants to make a difference.

“It’s embarrassing to even say you live here,” he said.

The other Republican running for the commission seat is Chris “RINO” Dyer, who filed on a whim. It was a friend’s suggestion. Plus, he said, “It’s cheap. It’s $100.”

Dyer, 43, is an electrician and veteran, having served in both the Navy and Army Reserves. He previously ran for U.S. Congress and lieutenant governor. Dyer said he’s an advocate for smaller government.

District B includes parts of the northern and northwest valley.

District C

Two Republicans are running against incumbent Larry Brown for the District C commission seat.

Brown, a Democrat, was first elected to county commission in 2008. Campaign expense reports show that he raised $311,654 by the end of last year.

His challengers are Gary Hosea and Stephen Sedlmeyer.

Hosea, 63, a records technician for the county's public works department, previously ran for commission in 2008. He's giving it another shot, buoyed by what he calls a "lack of leadership" in the county. Some of the issues he promotes include education, job diversity and seniors' well-being. He's also an advocate for light rail and championed the concept in the past.

"I would support it," said Hosea, an Army veteran. "We need to get people around the valley. It could cut down pollution."

Sedlmeyer, 59, is a retired Navy veteran who’s running for commission because “county government needs to be put on a different path to achieve its goals,” he said.

District C covers a large section of the northwest valley.

District D

It’s a two-man race in District D.

Commissioner Lawrence Weekly, a Democrat, is running for the seat he’s held since 2007 when he was appointed by former Gov. Jim Gibbons. Weekly had raised $273,359 for his re-election bid by the end of last year, according to campaign expense reports.

His Republican challenger is Anthony Osnaya, a 37-year-old construction worker. Osnaya, who has never run for public office, said he wants to be a louder voice for Hispanics within the Republican Party.

“I want to help people in my community,” Osnaya said.

District D includes parts of western and northeastern Las Vegas as well as North Las Vegas.

• • •

The 2016 primary will be June 14, followed by the general election Nov. 8

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