Municipal elections in Las Vegas, Nevada (2017)

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2019 → ← 2015
2017 Las Vegas elections
Election dates
Filing deadline: February 3, 2017
Primary election: April 4, 2017 General election: June 13, 2017
Election stats
Offices up: City Council
Total seats up: 3
Election type: Nonpartisan
Other municipal elections
U.S. municipal elections, 2017
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Las Vegas, Nevada, held a general election for the Ward 2 and Ward 6 seats on the city council on June 13, 2016. None of the candidates for those seats won a majority in the primary election on April 4, 2017, so the top two vote-getters in each race advanced to the general election. Challenger Steve Seroka unseated incumbent Bob Beers in the general election in Ward 2. In Ward 6, former state Assemblywoman Michele Fiore defeated businesswoman Kelli Ross, the wife of term-limited incumbent Steven D. Ross.

The race for the Ward 4 seat on the city council was decided in the primary election. Incumbent Stavros S. Anthony defeated three challengers to secure re-election.

A proposed development on the recently shuttered Badlands Golf Course was the focus of the election in Ward 2. Challenger Steve Seroka, who was spurred to enter the race by opposition to the development, accused incumbent Beers of being "too cozy with [the] big donors" backing the project. A section of Beers' 2017 campaign website, "The Roush-Seroka Lies and Distortions," addressed claims about the development that Beers attributed to Seroka and Christina Roush, another primary challenger and Badlands development opponent. Learn more about the Badlands development controversy by clicking here.

General election

Note: Although elections in Las Vegas 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 2

☐ Bob Beers (i)
☑ Steve Seroka

Ward 6

☑ Michele Fiore
☐ Kelli Ross

Primary election

Note: Although elections in Las Vegas 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 2

☑ Bob Beers (i)
☐ Laura Feher
☐ Christina Roush
☑ Steve Seroka

Ward 4

☑ Stavros S. Anthony (i)
☐ Jon Edge
☐ Deborah Harris
☐ Sean Lyttle

Ward 6

Incumbent Steven D. Ross was not eligible to run
for re-election due to term limits. Adam Christian
withdrew his candidacy on March 9, 2017.
☐ Ryan Alarid
☐ Matthew Consoli
☑ Michele Fiore
☐ Chris Garvey
☐ Joel Jarvis
☐ Allen Jordan
☐ Reid Rasner
☑ Kelli Ross
☐ Thaddeus Ynigues

Campaign finance

The figures in the tables below are from the most recent report submitted by each candidate as of June 22, 2017. They are reproduced as presented by the candidates in their report summaries.

Polling

In May 2017, Kelli Ross' campaign released the results of an internal poll of the Ward 6 general election. Democratic firm Anzalone Liszt Grove Research polled 280 likely general election voters for the campaign in April 2017. The below graph presents the results of the poll.

Public Policy Polling polled 202 likely primary voters about the Ward 6 primary in March 2017. The below graphs present the results of the poll.

Additional elections on the ballot

There were no other elections on the ballot in Las Vegas.

Issues

General election

Ward 2

The disagreement between Ward 2 incumbent Bob Beers and challenger Steve Seroka over the Badlands development project carried over from the primary election to their general election match up. The issue featured prominently in a debate hosted by radio station KNPR-FM 88.9 on May 25, 2017. Click here to learn more about the candidates' positions on the project.

The debate also highlighted other areas of disagreement between the candidates. For example, Beers defended the city council's decision to extend trash collection company Republic Services' city contract without formally exploring other alternatives. Seroka said the city should have used a competitive bidding process.

Both candidates were targets of spending by political action committees. The Las Vegas Review-Journal reported on June 2, 2017, that two groups, Citizens to Preserve Neighborhoods and Advocates for Quality of Life, funded mailers opposing Beers. Christina Roush, who ran in the primary election, was the Citizens to Preserve Neighborhoods PAC's primary backer; she contributed $23,000 of the $25,000 it had raised by early June. Another group, Citizens for Better Neighborhoods, funded anti-Seroka mailers.

Ward 6

On June 1, 2017, the Las Vegas Review-Journal reported that Ward 6 general election candidates Michele Fiore and Kelli Ross had not met in a debate or candidate forum and that they were unlikely to do so before the June 13 election. Fiore told the Review-Journal, "I don't see that [participating in a debate or candidate forum before the election] happening. I've run six very positive races up here. Primaries and generals, and I've been attacked. But this race has opened my eyes to the lies and deceit of a desperate opponent. She isn't drawing attention to herself and her accomplishments, because she hasn’t accomplished anything."

Ross said, "I personally think it's [Fiore not participating in a debate or candidate forum is] a smoke screen. I think they know if she starts talking again, she'll put her foot back in her mouth. What all is she hiding? That's why she won't come out and talk, she's got too much explaining to do. The fact that they're calling me the negative person is quite hilarious, because everything I can say, I can back up."

The candidates also responded to a question from the Review-Journal about their positions on the biggest challenge facing their ward. They said:

• Michele Fiore: "Our biggest challenge right now is we're growing at a rapid speed. We have to make sure that with all the kids coming here, we have space in schools, and making sure the quality of life out here doesn't suffer."
• Kelli Ross: "With this being such a fast growing area, public safety is always going to be a big one, as well as infrastructure. We have so much building — one of the really important things is keeping the funds coming out here, and making sure it's not shifted to where the (NFL) stadium will be built in the county. We need to work with public works and NDOT [the Nevada Department of Transportation] to make sure we're receiving our fair share and it's not being diverted."

Primary election

Campaign priorities

The Las Vegas Review-Journal profiled the candidates in the lead-up to the April primary. The table below presents their responses to an inquiry about their priorities for the city council. The Review-Journal's full candidate profiles can be viewed here.

Campaign priorities, 2017 candidates for Las Vegas City Council
Ward	Candidate	Campaign priorities
2	Bob Beers (i)	Common-sense perspective to City Council decisions Fiscal responsibility Ensure Ward 2 continues to get infrastructure and police and fire services
2	Laura Feher	Neighborhood safety Clean streets
2	Christina Roush	Provide city after-school programs to augment the school district offerings Curtail crime by working with police and increasing community policing efforts Urban renewal and core development in the city
2	Steve Seroka	Protect property values and neighborhoods End "big money influence" at City Hall Increase police presence in Ward 2
4	Stavros S. Anthony (i)	Fiscal responsibility Downtown redevelopment Maintaining a good quality of life in Ward 4, including new recreational projects
4	Jon Edge	Foster business development Increasing community engagement and participation
4	Deborah Harris	Increase community engagement Focus on law enforcement Working with other agencies on increasing services like vocational and apprenticeship opportunities to help fill some of the gaps in education
4	Sean Lyttle	Expand and coordinate homeless services Expand access to mental health care Work force development and job creation
6	Ryan Alarid	Work with Clark County School District to boost local education system Bring more businesses into Ward 6 Create jobs in the city
6	Matthew Consoli	Create a city-owned trade school Strengthen on city government relationships with organized labor and business leaders Create job growth
6	Michele Fiore	Ward 6 safety with focus on police and fire resources Reducing bureaucracy for business owners and developers at City Hall Work with school leaders to help enhance education
6	Chris Garvey	Neighborhood safety Common sense development Increasing fiscal transparency
6	Joel Jarvis	Development More parks and green space in Ward 6 Fiscal responsibility
6	Allen Jordan	Grow the number of and kinds of jobs in the city Reduce crime in the city
6	Reid Rasner	Homeless youth More rooftop solar in Las Vegas Strengthen ties between community and police
6	Kelli Ross	Infrastructure Public safety Improving/maintaining quality of life in Ward 6
6	Thaddeus Ynigues	Increase law enforcement presence in Ward 6 Improve business sustainability in the city Increase cooperative efforts across jurisdictions in the valley

Badlands Golf Course development

Ward 2 incumbent Bob Beers clashed with primary challengers Christina Roush and Steve Seroka over a proposed development on the Badlands Golf Course.

In February 2017, Beers was one of the yes votes in a 4-3 decision to approve a condo development on the edge of the recently closed course. The proposed development drew opposition from homeowners in the nearby Queensridge neighborhood, who argued that it was at odds with the neighborhood's master plan and worried that it would impact property values and increase traffic congestion, demands on drainage, and overcrowding in local schools.

The controversy over the development quickly became the focus of the Ward 2 primary. In a press release announcing his candidacy, Seroka said opposition to the development motivated him to join the race and charged Beers with working to advance it. Roush also came out against the project, suggesting that it would contribute to increased crime, congestion, and school crowding and pledging to prioritize the concerns of homeowners in Queensridge over developer interests.

Beers responded that the golf course land was zoned for residential development and that refusing to allow the developer to move forward with the condo project would open the city up to a lawsuit. "If the city council does not allow the developer to build as allowed by current zoning, the developer can sue the city to force the taxpayers to buy the golf course land from him," he said on his campaign website. "Being forced by a 'select few' homeowners to protect their golf course views will take an estimated $30 million of tax money that could be spent on needed services."

Each side hinted at undue influence by big donors. In his candidacy announcement, Seroka accused Beers of getting "entirely too cozy with the developers, lobbyists and big money donors"—an allegation he repeated at a candidate forum in March 2017. Roush claimed on her campaign website that the Badlands developer made $76,000 in campaign contributions. In August 2016, Beers reported that Queensridge residents had threatened to fund a bid to unseat him.

According to a March 2017 article in the Las Vegas Review-Journal, Roush led the Ward 2 field in first-quarter fundraising, and her $256,000 total included thousands in contributions from residents of Queensridge. The Review-Journal also reported that Beers logged a $7,500 contribution from the law firm representing the Badlands developer and that a new political action committee, Citizens for Better Neighborhoods, funded mailers attacking Roush and Seroka for their position on the development.

Party composition

City council races in Las Vegas are officially nonpartisan, but the Nevada secretary of state reports party affiliations for some candidates and the Nevada Republican Men's Club released a list of 2017 municipal candidates who were registered Republicans. According to information available via those sources, all of the incumbents prior to the 2017 election were affiliated with one of the two major parties.

Democratic challenger Steve Seroka won Republican incumbent Bob Beers' Ward 2 seat in the 2017 election, and Republican Michele Fiore claimed the Ward 6 seat held by term-limited Democrat Steven D. Ross. That meant that, although the two seats each changed party hands in 2017, the overall partisan composition of the city council remained unchanged.

Las Vegas City Council, March 2017
Ward	Officeholder	Partisan affiliation	Seat up for election in 2017
1	Lois Tarkanian	Democratic
2	Bob Beers	Republican	X
3	Bob Coffin	Democratic
4	Stavros S. Anthony	Republican	X
5	Ricki Y. Barlow	Democratic
6	Steven D. Ross	Democratic	X

About the city

See also: Las Vegas, Nevada

Las Vegas is a city in Clark County, Nevada. As of 2010, its population was 583,756.

City government

See also: Council-manager government

The city of Las Vegas 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 Las Vegas, Nevada
	Las Vegas	Nevada
Population	583,756	2,700,551
Land area (sq mi)	141	109,859
Race and ethnicity**
White	61.9%	65.6%
Black/African American	12.2%	9.1%
Asian	6.9%	8.2%
Native American	0.9%	1.3%
Pacific Islander	0.8%	0.7%
Two or more	5.2%	4.9%
Hispanic/Latino	33.1%	28.7%
Education
High school graduation rate	84.8%	86.7%
College graduation rate	24.6%	24.7%
Income
Median household income	$56,354	$60,365
Persons below poverty level	15.3%	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 Las Vegas Nevada election. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.

Municipal elections in Las Vegas, Nevada (2017) - Google News

See also

Las Vegas, Nevada	Nevada	Municipal government	Other local coverage
2015 Las Vegas elections Las Vegas, 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 Las Vegas