Incumbents in Clark County’s municipalities often cruise to easy victories because of name recognition and a general lack of interest in elections that happen in odd-numbered years. That was mostly true of this year’s primaries.
North Las Vegas Ward 1 Councilman Isaac Barron and North Las Vegas Mayor John Lee both dominated against relatively unknown candidates — 82 and 81 percent of the vote, respectively, easily meeting the 50 percent needed to avoid a runoff. Meanwhile, over in the city of Las Vegas, Ward 4 Councilman Stavros Anthony drew 74 percent of the vote.
But Las Vegas, North Las Vegas and Henderson all have races to be decided in the general election June 13. Those to watch include:
Las Vegas City Council, Ward 2
Incumbent Bob Beers will face retired Air Force pilot Steve Seroka. Beers, a career politician, took 43 percent of the vote in the primary while first-time candidate Seroka received only 29 percent. However, the outcome of the runoff may hinge on where supporters of Christina Roush, who was knocked out of the council race by finishing third in the primary, shift their support. The dominant talking point of the election has been Beers’ vote to approve a development on the shuttered Badlands Golf Course in his ward. Roush, a real estate developer, received support from upset residents of the adjacent Queensridge neighborhood. If they move to Seroka, the race could be a close one.
Las Vegas City Council, Ward 6
Former Assemblywoman Michele Fiore made a commanding showing in the primary but fell short of the 50 percent needed to seal the deal. Fiore, who is known as a staunch supporter of the Second Amendment and for playing a role in the Bundy standoff in Oregon last year, came away with 43 percent of the vote. Her challenger is Kelli Ross, who took 31 percent of the votes in the primary. Ross is married to current Ward 6 Councilman Steve Ross and now has ground to make up. Despite that connection, Fiore has the name-recognition edge because of her outspoken ways, and she also has more notable endorsements, including the National Rifle Association and Laborers Local 872.
North Las Vegas City Council, Ward 3
Incumbent Anita Wood will have to defend her seat against small-business owner Scott Black. Black received the most votes during the primary — 33 percent compared with Wood’s 30 percent. Black may be a newcomer to local politics, but he already has the support of one notable name in the city: Mayor John Lee.
Henderson City Council, Ward 3
When he was appointed by the city council to represent Ward 3 after Kathleen Vermillion resigned, John Marz said he would not run for the seat during the next election. But he is. He garnered 43 percent of the vote and will face Carrie Cox, a licensed cosmetologist with volunteer and board experience at local churches and other groups. Cox got 28 percent of the vote.
By the numbers
• Henderson: 12.46 percent
• North Las Vegas: 7.73 percent
• Las Vegas: 7.67 percent
Dismal turnout
Less than 10 percent (9.48) of registered voters cast ballots in Tuesday’s municipal primary elections — a decrease from the 2015 turnout of 13.75 percent. Boulder City was the outlier, with 33.45 percent going to the polls. And Henderson was the only municipality to see an increase in votes cast from the previous primary. In fact, the city announced that it broke early voting records.
Join the Discussion:
Check this out for a full explanation of our conversion to the LiveFyre commenting system and instructions on how to sign up for an account.
Full comments policy