All three Henderson council members up for re-election draw challengers

A man who has waged unsuccessful races for governor and local office — and already has a 2016 U.S. Senate campaign planned — was among four last-minute candidates who filed this week to run for Henderson City Council.

Eddie Hamilton, who called himself a financial adviser and “full-time conservative blogger,” said he filed on Wednesday — the next-to-last possible day — because no challenger had entered the race.

“I was hoping somebody else would, because we cannot be having the same crowd,” Hamilton said. Saying voters need to have a choice, he added, “This is not a coronation.”

All three City Council members who are up for re-election this year now have challengers, but Municipal Court Judge Douglas Hedger is running unopposed. The primary election is April 7, and there will be a general election June 2 in any race where no candidate gets a majority of votes in the primary. Although the Henderson filing deadline was Thursday, the filing deadlines for Las Vegas and North Las Vegas is Friday.

Hamilton will be on the ballot against Councilwoman Gerri Schroder, who is running for a third term. A third candidate for the same seat, Edward O’Neil, filed Thursday.

O’Neil, 57, owns a transport and storage firm and a travel guide publishing company. He said he wants to help seniors with excessive water bills he believes are unfair. He also said he opposes a property tax increase and would support tax credits to encourage new businesses.

Schroder, who was first elected in 2007, said she was too busy Thursday to talk about the campaign. She has said she is proud of work the city has done to revitalize Lake Las Vegas and break ground on the Union Village health-care campus, which will be home to an acute-care hospital. She said she has helped lead improvements in her ward, including repaving, road repairs and new sidewalks and landscaping.

Hamilton said he wants to prevent a property tax increase, and he said his election would be important because he’d become “the only conservative” on the five-member council.

The three are running to represent Ward 1 on the east side of Henderson, which includes downtown.

Councilwoman Debra March, who had been unopposed until the last day of filing, also got a challenger Thursday in Crystal Hendrickson.

Hendrickson, 29, is a land surveyor intern and a mother of three who has lived in Henderson since 2009. She said she wants to prevent a property tax increase and change the way the city’s redevelopment agency spends money to encourage development in targeted areas.

“I don’t think the city of Henderson should be in the business of speculating on land,” Hendrickson said.

March, who has been on the City Council since 2009, has touted her success helping move the Inspirada development forward, pushing for single-stream recycling and cutting the city’s budget, which city officials say ended the most recent year in the black. She also has served on regional transportation and economic development boards.

In Ward 4 in western Henderson, Councilman Sam Bateman is being challenged by financial adviser Derek Uehara and Tristan Galicia.

Uehara has said he wants to focus on bringing new businesses to Henderson to expand the tax base. He said he was motivated to run because low turnout in past elections shows residents aren’t engaged.

Bateman said he has helped lead the city through difficult times. He opposes a property tax increase and also wants to bring new businesses to town.

Galicia, who filed on the last day, couldn’t be reached Thursday evening.

Hamilton, who is in his early 70s but declined to give his age, is a veteran of campaigns, as well as colorful nicknames.

In 2011, he ran for City Council — listing his name as Edward “Toughguy” Hamilton — and came in third out of five candidates with 5.9 percent of the vote. Schroder won that race.

Two years later, he ran for mayor — listing his name as Eddie “InLiberty” Hamilton — and finished fourth out of seven with 2.2 percent of the vote. Mayor Andy Hafen was re-elected.

Last year, he ran for governor of Nevada with the InLiberty moniker.

This year, he listed his name as Eddie “Eduardo” Hamilton. And he already has a plan to run against Harry Reid for a U.S. Senate seat in 2016.

Contact Eric Hartley at ehartley@reviewjournal.com or 702-550-9229. Find him on Twitter: @ethartley.