Municipal elections in Henderson, Nevada (2017)

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2019 → ← 2015
2017 Henderson elections
Election dates
Filing deadline: February 2, 2017
Primary election: April 4, 2017 General election: June 13, 2017
Election stats
Offices up: Mayor & City Council
Total seats up: 2
Election type: Nonpartisan
Other municipal elections
U.S. municipal elections, 2017
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The city of Henderson, Nevada, held a general election for the Ward III seat on the city council on June 13, 2017. None of the candidates won a majority in the primary election on April 4, 2017, so the top two vote-getters, incumbent John Marz and challenger Carrie Cox, advanced to the general election. Marz defeated Cox in the general election to win a new term.

Mayor Andy Hafen was not eligible to run for re-election in 2017 due to term limits. The open race to replace him was decided in the primary election; Ward II Councilwoman Debra March defeated six other candidates, including former city council opponent Crystal Hendrickson and former mayoral candidate Rick Workman, to claim the position. Dan Shaw was appointed by the Henderson City Council on June 20, 2017, to fill the vacancy created by March's election to the mayorship.

The community development plan Henderson Strong divided the candidates in the mayoral race. Then-Councilwoman March expressed support for the plan while other candidates staked out positions against it. Learn more about the debate over Henderson Strong and other issues that featured in the 2017 election by clicking here.

General election

Note: Although elections in Henderson are officially nonpartisan, Ballotpedia identified known partisan affiliations for informational purposes. Email [email protected] to notify us of additions or updates to these partisan affiliations.

Ward III

☑ John Marz (i)
☐ Carrie Cox

Primary election

Note: Although elections in Henderson are officially nonpartisan, Ballotpedia identified known partisan affiliations for informational purposes. Email [email protected] to notify us of additions or updates to these partisan affiliations.

Mayor

Incumbent Andy A. Hafen was not eligible to
run for re-election due to term limits.
☐ Anthony Csuzi
☐ Angelo Gomez
☐ Eddie Hamilton
☐ Crystal Hendrickson
☑ Debra March
☐ Jerry Sakura
☐ Rick Workman

Ward III

☑ John Marz (i)
☑ Carrie Cox
☐ Matthew DeFalco

Campaign finance

The figures in the tables below are from the most recent report submitted by each candidate as of June 16, 2017. They are reproduced as presented by the candidates in their report summaries.

Additional elections on the ballot

There were no other elections on the ballot in Henderson.

Issues

General election

Ward III general election candidates John Marz and Carrie Cox laid out their goals in response to a question from the Las Vegas Review-Journal:

• Carrie Cox: "I want to work to revitalize Water Street District by supporting business incentives and streamlining licenses and the permit process to bring businesses here. I also want to focus on repairing roads and addressing those that need it the most. I want to make sure there's transparency on the city council and put more police on the streets."
• John F. Marz: "West Henderson is going to be an incredible opportunity for the city, but we need to make sure that it’s developing in a proper way. We must continue looking at the West Henderson Plan and adjusting it accordingly. We want people to be able to work and live in Henderson. I want to bring well-paying jobs to the city."
  

The candidates also listed the issues on which they would focus if elected:

• Cox: "My top issues are public safety, land use, economic development, transparency and keeping taxes low. I'd like to cut some of the waste from our budget and look into adding a police station out closer to Inspirada. Regarding land use and economic development, we need a well-balanced plan in the future, so we don't see issues with over-building and high-density housing, like we've seen on Stephanie and the 215.
  I will have an open-door policy because I believe Henderson residents have a right to know what kind of decisions are made.
  I also want to work with CCSD on zoning for school sites to fix our overcrowded schools."
• Marz: "My top priority is protecting Henderson's unique quality of life. To do so, we must focus on three specific areas — neighborhood revitalization, enhanced public safety and sound financial decision-making."
  

Marz had the support of the Armed Forces Chamber of Commerce, Citizens for Responsible Government, the Henderson Chamber of Commerce, Henderson Firefighters IAFF Local 1883, the Henderson Police Officers Association, the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, the Las Vegas Sun, and Seniors United in his bid for re-election. Cox was endorsed by the Clark County Republican Party, the Henderson Police Supervisors Association, the Nevada Veterans Association, the Nevada Veterans Council, the United Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners of America, and Veterans in Politics International.

Primary election

Henderson Strong

Mayoral candidates Eddie Hamilton, Crystal Hendrickson, and Rick Workman lined up against Debra March over the community development plan Henderson Strong.

Henderson Strong, which draws on the research and strategies used to formulate the regional sustainable development plan Southern Nevada Strong, is a 20-year plan for the city's growth and development. Elements of the plan that prompted opposition from some of the mayoral candidates included proposals to invest in public transit, walkability and bikeability, and higher-density urban centers.

• Eddie Hamilton: Henderson Strong was "a radical & extreme Obama-Reid H.U.D. financed increased density urban sprawl Master Community planning...
  Zoning ordinances being drafted to promote more density living near you, all over the City of Henderson. In other words, the massive dense urbanization of Henderson is in the works. Crime rate increase will ensue, big time! Henderson will cease to be a suburbia...As Mayor, I will put Henderson Strong on the ballot, as an Advisory Question for Henderson Voters to decide.
  So, that's why I will oppose plans to bring Rapid Transit Light Rail System for Henderson (because it will enable would be drug dealers, rapists, and other bad actors to hit & run all over Henderson, NV)."
  

• Crystal Hendrickson: "Here's the problem with the [Southern Nevada Strong] solutions:
  • High density housing tends to bring in crime and increases traffic congestion.
  • People don't dream of giving up their personal vehicles so they can take public transportation instead.
  • Simple road maintenance isn't being done unless the road has been redesigned for the new 'Complete Street' standard with bike lanes and detached sidewalks. Redesigning the roads has been very costly."
    

• Rick Workman: "The January 2017 Henderson Strong Comprehensive Plan shows eight planned Urban Centers in the city. We have limited funds for public safety now. Who is going to pay for the infrastructure, police, fire, etc. when residents will be packed and stacked in the urban centers? Hint: Taxes."

March, on the other hand, chaired the Southern Nevada Strong Consortium Committee and participated in the Henderson Strong planning process in her role as a city councilmember. She campaigned on a Henderson Strong approach to economic development. Her campaign website said, "On the economic development front I am going to take an aggressive approach utilizing the 2017 Henderson Strong comprehensive plan that targets identified business sectors. These areas of business will bring good paying jobs into our city. Henderson Strong was born out of Southern Nevada Strong and incorporates healthy livable communities, a vibrant, resilient economy and active complete transportation for all residents as key strategies." At a candidate forum on March 27, 2017, she emphasized that public input into the plan was ongoing, saying, "The fact is that this plan reflects the voice of Henderson residents."

Candidate eligibility challenge

In January 2017, mayoral candidate Rick Workman challenged opponent Debra March's eligibility for the mayoral race. March was appointed to the city council in 2009 to fill the vacancy created by the election of Andy A. Hafen to the mayorship, elected to a full four-year term in 2011, and re-elected in 2015. Workman argued that the two years March served of Hafen's unexpired term should count as four for eligibility purposes and, therefore, that she would exceed the 12-year term limit for municipal service if elected mayor.

The Nevada Secretary of State rejected Workman's challenge, pointing to the language of the term limits provision in the state constitution. "Notably, the constitutional language does not use 'terms' or 'elections' as the metric of measurement when determining if a person is eligible for public office. It refers to years served," the secretary of state found. "To date, Debra March has served approximately 8 years on the Henderson City Council, both as an appointee and an elected member," the secretary of state's ruling continued. "She has not already served 12 years as a member of the City Council, nor will she have served 12 years at the end of her current term."

Workman, who lost to Hafen in the 2013 mayoral race, pursued a similar challenge against Hafen in 2014. He argued that Hafen, who was first elected to the city council in 1987 and the mayorship in 2009, was in violation of the state's term limits law and should be removed from office.

Workman's challenge cited a February 2014 ruling by the Nevada Supreme Court that the term limits law applies to both city council and mayoral service in cities like Henderson, where the mayor is a voting member of the city council. However, the City of Henderson and then-state Attorney General Catherine Cortez Masto issued statements indicating that the court's decision was not intended to apply retroactively to candidates who were elected prior to the ruling. In November 2014, the Nevada Supreme Court rejected Workman's challenge due to lack of standing.

About the city

See also: Henderson, Nevada

Henderson is a city in Clark County, Nevada. As of 2010, its population was 257,729.

City government

See also: Council-manager government

The city of Henderson uses a council-manager system. In this form of municipal government, an elected city council—which includes the mayor and serves as the city's primary legislative body—appoints a chief executive called a city manager to oversee day-to-day municipal operations and implement the council's policy and legislative initiatives.

Demographics

The following table displays demographic data provided by the United States Census Bureau.

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Demographic Data for Henderson, Nevada
	Henderson	Nevada
Population	257,729	2,700,551
Land area (sq mi)	106	109,859
Race and ethnicity**
White	75.5%	65.6%
Black/African American	6%	9.1%
Asian	8.2%	8.2%
Native American	0.5%	1.3%
Pacific Islander	0.5%	0.7%
Two or more	4.8%	4.9%
Hispanic/Latino	16.8%	28.7%
Education
High school graduation rate	93.8%	86.7%
College graduation rate	33.4%	24.7%
Income
Median household income	$74,147	$60,365
Persons below poverty level	7.9%	13.1%
Source: population provided by U.S. Census Bureau, "Decennial Census" (2010). Other figures provided by U.S. Census Bureau, "American Community Survey" (5-year estimates 2014-2019).
**Note: Percentages for race and ethnicity may add up to more than 100 percent because respondents may report more than one race and the Hispanic/Latino ethnicity may be selected in conjunction with any race. Read more about race and ethnicity in the census here.

Recent news

The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms Henderson Nevada election. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.

Municipal elections in Henderson, Nevada (2017) - Google News

See also

Henderson, Nevada	Nevada	Municipal government	Other local coverage
2015 Henderson elections Henderson, Nevada Cities in Nevada	2017 Nevada elections Public policy in Nevada Endorsers in Nevada Nevada	Top counties 100 largest cities Current mayors Current council officials	2017 municipal elections 2017 school board elections 2017 local ballot measure elections 2017 local judicial elections

External links

Suggest a link

• City of Henderson