Romero, Chadwick take questions in Henderson mayoral forum

Henderson Mayor Michelle Romero and challenger Hollie Chadwick both urged residents during a candidate forum on Monday night to support a ballot proposal that seeks to continue funding for the city’s parks and recreation facilities.

Speaking before roughly 40 attendees at the Black Mountain Recreation Center at Horizon Drive and Greenway Road, Romero and Chadwick also seemed to find common ground in hoping to protect the city’s rural pockets from high-density development in what was the first event of 2026 to feature mayoral candidates.

Some residents pressed Chadwick, the former chief of the Henderson Police Department who was fired in March after the city manager said she lost confidence in Chadwick’s leadership style, on how she would work with city leaders. Chadwick pledged to work with everyone because she wants “what’s best for our city.”

“From day one, it needs to be we’re working together towards the common goal,” Chadwick said. “I’m not trying to get to become the mayor so that I can do any sort of retaliation. I don’t believe in any of that, and my heart can’t hold any of that negativity.”

Romero, meanwhile, touted new education opportunities coming to Henderson, bolstered police recruiting and new developments.

“Every time I set out a goal, I have systematically met that goal, and worked to even take us to the next level,” Romero said. “And that’s what I’ll continue doing.”

Romero entered 2026 with a massive fundraising advantage over Chadwick, having raised $726,950 to Chadwick’s $20,325 in 2025, according to campaign finance filings submitted to the Nevada secretary of state’s office last month.

‘That should be a priority’

Romero and Chadwick both stressed to attendees they believe it is in residents’ best interest to support the ballot proposal on the June 9 primary to extend the $0.12 per $100 rate of an assessed valuation first passed in 1996 to support the Henderson Parks and Recreation Department’s operations. If approved, the measure would maintain the millage rate over the next 30 years.

“It doesn’t matter what side of the aisle you are on, doesn’t matter how you’re voting for anything else, that should be a priority to get that approved,” Chadwick said.

Romero agreed, noting that about 36 percent of the Henderson Parks and Recreation Department’s budget is directly supported by the tax.

Richard Ross, a Henderson resident who said he’s supporting Romero, said the city being able to maintain its parks and trails is important to him.

“We have the best Parks and Recreation Department probably in the land, everywhere I’ve been,” Ross said. “It’s one of the reasons I wanted to move out here.”

Attendee Daniel Abendroth, who said he lives in one of the city’s rural neighborhood preservation areas, said he was satisfied by the way Romero and Chadwick answered questions about preserving rural life in Henderson.

“People want that (rural) way of life,” Abendroth said. “That’s one of the biggest things for me, is to keep it that way.”

Chadwick wants later City Council meetings

Chadwick proposed moving the start time of City Council meetings to 6 p.m. — compared to the current 4 p.m. start times — in order to bolster public participation. Chadwick also proposed undoing a recent move that shifted the city’s animal control away from the Police Department. She said she would find new ways to increase funding for first responders and other city employees.

New obligations related to cash reserves needed for worker’s compensation claims, compounded with reduced revenue generated by sales taxes, Romero said, have made it difficult to find new funding for public services. But Romero also added the Henderson Police Department’s newest cadet class is anticipated to be its largest ever, and noted reductions in overall crime and property crimes under Chadwick’s successor, Chief Reggie Rader.

Chadwick added that while it’s beneficial that Henderson is bringing in new recruits, she was aware of at least five officers who have departed from the department in recent weeks and pledged that any potential increased financial support to public servants would be done without increasing taxes.

“It’s great we have people in the academy, but every officer we lose, that takes a year to backfill that spot,” Chadwick said, adding she is rooting for Rader’s success. “Whatever is going on, they need to fix it, quick.”

Contact Casey Harrison at charrison@reviewjournal.com. Follow @casey-harrison.bsky.social on Bluesky.