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North Las Vegas couple share their passion for community

North Las Vegas has plenty of community activists fighting to protect their neighborhood, but none other have stood out more to city officials than Bob and Vernie Borgersen.

In January, city officials honored the couple with a proclamation declaring Jan. 6 as Bob and Vernie Borgersen Day.

For more than 20 years, the couple have been active with their community through starting neighborhood watches and cleanups and have been involved in several city organizations.

Their passion for activism began in Chicago, where the Borgersens ran a mom-and-pop grocery store known as Bob’s Grocery for 24 years. The store was near a school and became known as a safe house, Vernie said.

After surviving two armed robberies at the store and being burglarized one Christmas Eve, the couple decided to pack their bags and head to North Las Vegas to be near their daughter.

Although they have been retired for 21 years, the husband and wife continue to remain active as strong community leaders.

View recently sat down with the Borgersens for a question-and-answer session.

Prior to moving to North Las Vegas, the two of you owned Bob’s Grocery. Can you tell me more about the store? What type of support did it provide to the community in Chicago?

Bob: Our store was more like a sanctuary for the community. It was like one of those old-time neighborhood stores. We knew all of the neighbors, and we had a lot of kids come to us asking for advice.

Why did you move to North Las Vegas?

Bob: We partly came for our daughter whose husband was stationed in Germany for eight years until they decided to move here to the city. Plus, we had two recent armed robberies, and our store and our home was burglarized the Christmas Eve before we moved. They destroyed a lot of stuff. We had to get out of there for our own safety.

Our store was also being harassed because of local school politics.

Vernie: Since moving here, we’ve had five generations living here. My mom lives down the street from us, and she’s 94. It’s nice to be close to family.

Bob: When we first moved here, we didn’t know where to live, so we drove around the valley and decided North Las Vegas was our home. There’s just less traffic here, and the air is cleaner.

What type of community work have you been involved with since moving here?

Bob: In two of our neighborhoods, we started a Neighborhood Watch program, and we’ve coordinated neighborhood cleanups. Sometimes, when we notice that there’s an elderly person that can’t do too much, we try to help them clean or maintain their yard.

We’ve also been active in the political side of things. We’ve helped Richard Cherchio run for councilman, and we help get the word out about the Protectors of Tule Springs, as well as donate to their cause.

We’ve always tried to attend every city council meeting, and we’ve been involved with the growth of the city. We were involved with the building of the Cannery and the Aliante. We were so involved that people started calling me to get help on city matters.

Because of us, the city has changed a few street signs that were wrong. Some said south instead of north and east instead of west. We’ve also helped write new codes for code enforcement.

Vernie: I was on the library board of trustees, and I resigned last May. We’re also part of Friends of the North Las Vegas Library and Friends of Tule Springs. We’re just observant, and we care.

Bob: We were involved in Vision 2025, which focused on what the city would look like in 20 years, and I co-founded the North Las Vegas Alliance for Home Owners Associations and Concerned Citizens.

We care about our community so much that if we’re walking down the street, and we see a stone, we kick it back to its place.

Between your community work and being a sort of watchdog for the city, you two must keep very busy. What keeps you going?

Bob: We do this for the love of our city. The bad guys win if you don’t fight for what you believe in. It’s the only way to get things accomplished. I guess I can be a pain for some people, but I’m not a bad person. I’m just very active. I understand that you win some and lose some.

Vernie: We’ve never wanted to be directly involved in politics. We’re just in the background. We just both care about the kids and their future an awful lot.

Bob: We like helping people, period.

After working and volunteering together for so many years, you two seem to have a very strong bond. What is the secret to your marriage?

Bob: Just being caring and giving, and her ability to put up with me for so many years.

Vernie: Being loving and remembering that it takes two people to make a relationship work. You have to give it 100 percent.

Bob: And she’s a good cook.

How have you seen the city change since moving here?

Bob: It’s grown a lot. We’ve seen the ups and downs of the city. Thankfully, the mayor (John Lee) has corrected a lot of the problems. We’re happy to see that the Hyperloop and Faraday Future will be moving here. The mayor worked hard to do it.

We hope to see the continued growth of the city. Having the right people in office can make it happen. Most people just know how to (complain) and don’t know how to be grateful. You have to give credit where credit is due.

How does it feel to receive a proclamation from the city?

Bob: It’s quite an honor. This is the first time they’re ever named a day after anyone in the city. It was something that we weren’t expecting.

What are your plans for the future?

Bob: I’ve had a lot of health issues lately. I’m a cancer survivor and a stroke survivor. We’ve both had open-heart surgery. I think we’re going to try to take it easy now.

To reach North View reporter Sandy Lopez, email slopez@viewnews.com or call 702-383-4686. Find her on Twitter: @JournalismSandy.

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