Rancho High School teacher takes North Las Vegas council seat

Isaac Barron routed fellow high school teacher Jared Hardy at the polls Tuesday, collecting more than half the votes cast in North Las Vegas’ Ward 1 and becoming the municipality’s first Latino City Council member.

“I’m glad this win came from Donna Street and Carey (Avenue),” an emotional Barron told supporters and campaign staff gathered at his campaign headquarters. “Growing up there, you didn’t get to pick and choose your friends, you played with who you grew up with.

“I’m proud to say my dad was a dishwasher, that I didn’t have a darn thing handed to me. This is a community win, not a personal victory. I thank you for this night.”

Barron, who won backing from local firefighters, police supervisors, teachers, service employees and Teamsters unions, had more than triple the campaign funds raised by Hardy.

The 42-year-old Rancho High School teacher couldn’t have been happier for that support after taking more than 58 percent of all Ward 1 ballots tallied Tuesday.

“I’m really, deeply honored,” Barron said as the last returns trickled in. “Let’s face it, Jared Hardy was a very tough opponent. It took a lot of planning and a lot of support from people with very diverse backgrounds to beat him.

“From here, the No. 1 thing is getting our finances in order. It looks like we’re going to be getting some help from the state, so we have to follow up on that.”

More than half the supporters and campaign workers gathered at the Democratic candidate’s headquarters Tuesday were Barron’s current or former students and wore orange hard hats emblazoned with his campaign logo.

They hadn’t been offered extra credit, though plenty made phone calls for the Rancho teacher until 15 minutes before the polls closed.

“He’s absolutely a great leader,” former student Esmeralda Villeda said. “If this many students look up to him, that’s got to be a good thing for the city.”

Hardy, 38, who teaches at Legacy High School, and Barron, both election rookies, were the only two candidates to survive an April primary that saw lopsided victories for Ward 4 City Councilwoman Anita Wood and Mayor-elect John Lee.

Just under 10 percent of registered North Las Vegas voters cast ballots in Tuesday’s election, a not unusually low turnout for ward-only general elections, according to Deputy City Clerk Barbara Andolina.

Ward 1 covers most of the eastern part of the city, north of Las Vegas Boulevard and east of the Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

The seat is nonpartisan and the term is four years. North Las Vegas City Council members earn $41,826.98 a year.

Barron is set to take his place on the council July 1.

Contact View reporter James DeHaven at jdehaven@viewnews.com or 702-477-3839.