Ward 1 candidate Isaac Barron shares his views

Rancho High School teacher Isaac Barron has handed out grades for more than a decade. Some were good, some were bad, but few were less enthusiastic than the “incomplete” grade he recently assigned the North Las Vegas City Council.

That’s a big part of the reason the 42-year-old history teacher and North Las Vegas native is looking to take the Ward 1 City Council seat soon to be vacated by term-limited Councilman Robert Eliason.

“I don’t have all the information (the City Council) had, and I’m sure some of their decisions made sense at the time,” Barron said of the council’s post-recession management. “I don’t think they failed, but the jury’s still out.”

Barron, a Democrat, sailed through last month’s nonpartisan Ward 1 primary with nearly twice the votes tallied by his independent opponent, fellow high school teacher and North Las Vegas native Jared Hardy.

He also has doubled the number of funds raised by Hardy headed into early voting, which is set to begin May 15. Barron hopes continued backing from longtime incumbent Eliason — along with the city’s public safety unions, Teamsters Union and the Service Employees International Union — can help him retain that lead.

For now, he’s focused on distinguishing himself from his June 4 opponent, a task he said comes easily given his “unique position” within the community.

“Being a Latino, when a significant portion of Ward 1 is Latino, I think puts me in a unique position not just to represent an underrepresented part of the population but to help be a liaison to the business community,” Barron said.

“If you go to the swap meet, you’ll see hundreds of small entrepreneurs. We can start doing some bilingual business workshops because there’s many groups, like the Latin Chamber of Commerce, who could actually help us get businesses started by Latinos right here in the city.”

Barron joined Mayor-Elect John Lee, also a Democrat, in lamenting the city’s combined $430 million investment on a new downtown City Hall and wastewater treatment plant near Nellis Air Force Base.

He also shared Lee’s cautious stance on San Francisco-based Mortgage Resolution Partners’ recent proposal to salvage underwater homeowners’ mortgages through a controversial use of the city’s power of eminent domain. Barron calls the idea “something to discuss” but stopped short of supporting the move.

Barron likes the economic development agenda put forward by his would-be predecessor and said he plans to wholly adopt Eliason’s efforts to clean up the city business code and revamp Ward 1’s Interstate 15 interchange. Barron also hopes to encourage placement of a drone range somewhere outside city limits, suggesting that aviation-based curriculums at his own Rancho High School might help to encourage such a move.

But if he could wave a magic wand, Barron would do just one thing: boost the city’s image.

“I’d do everything I can to make sure our city has a better reputation,” he said. “Sometimes we get a bad rap here in North Las Vegas because we’re not Summerlin; we’re not Green Valley; we’re a blue-collar town.

“But that isn’t a negative thing. I don’t think there’s anything wrong with having an affordable, safe place to live. ... That’s what the citizens deserve, and that’s where we’re headed.”

Rancho High School music teacher Gabriella Steger agrees.

Steger has worked down the hall from Barron for nearly 10 years. She talked about how that experience has her knocking on doors for him today.

“His enthusiasm for his work doesn’t have a parallel,” Steger said. “His optimism, his commitment, his sense of humor — all of that, I think, is something people respond to.

“When he figures out what needs to be done, there’s no stopping him.”

Contact Centennial and North Las Vegas View reporter James DeHaven at jdehaven@viewnews.com or 702-477-3839.