Tuesday was Election Day in the cities of Las Vegas, North Las Vegas and Boulder City, bringing new council members to all three municipalities—including a major shift in the City of Las Vegas, with three new City Council members.
City of Las Vegas Results
- City Council – Ward 1 – Brian Knudsen
- Councilman Knudsen replaces term-limited Councilwoman Lois Tarkanian
- City Council – Ward 3 – Olivia Diaz
- Councilwoman Diaz replaces Councilman Bob Coffin
- City Council – Ward 2 – Victoria Seaman
- This Special Election was held in conjunction with the General Election, which included a seven-candidate spread for the Summerlin-area seat that was previously held by former Councilman Steve Seroka. Councilman Seroka resigned in March in the face of a recall campaign.
In addition to the above, Las Vegas Mayor Carolyn G. Goodman clinched a third term and incumbent Las Vegas City Councilman Cedric Crear of Ward 5 also reclaimed his seat. Both were declared elected in the April 2, 2019, Primary Election, and therefore, no General Election occurred for their seats.
North Las Vegas Results
- City Council – Ward 4 – Richard Cherchio
- Councilman Cherchio was the incumbent and retained his seat over Pete Shields
Boulder City Results
- Mayor – Kiernan McManus
- McManus trailed by less than 2 percentage points in the Primary—but claimed the mayoral seat in the General Election over incumbent Mayor Rod Woodbury
- City Council – James H. Adams
- City Council – Claudia Bridges
A Changing Tide for Future Municipal Elections – Assembly Bill 50 (2019)
Major change is on the horizon for Nevada’s future municipal elections as a result of the recent passage of Assembly Bill 50 in the 80th State Legislative Session. Assembly Bill 50—which is awaiting a signature from Nevada Gov. Steve Sisolak—will make this Tuesday’s 2019 municipal election the last to occur in an odd-numbered year. The bill is meant to energize voter turnout for municipal races, which typically see staggering low voter turnout when not held during a General Election year.
Assembly Bill 50 removes the ability of Nevada cities to hold municipal elections in odd-numbered years and instead transitions all municipal elections to an even-year cycle by 2022. If signed by Gov. Sisolak, the bill would also add one year to the typical four-year terms of mayoral and city council candidates elected in 2017 and 2019 in order to sync the next election with the 2024 cycle.
Assembly Bill 50 will have a ripple effect, particularly in Henderson where Mayor Debra March, who was appointed to the Henderson City Council in 2009 and elected as mayor in April 2017, will be prevented from running for another mayoral term—after surpassing 12 years in office.
This document is intended to provide you with general information regarding Southern Nevada municipal election results. The contents of this document are not intended to provide specific legal advice. If you have any questions about the contents of this document or if you need legal advice as to an issue, please contact the attorneys listed or your regular Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck, LLP attorney. This communication may be considered advertising in some jurisdictions.