High housing costs bother this NLV mayoral candidate. She plans to do something about it

North Las Vegas mayoral candidate Daniele Monroe-Moreno named housing and the economy as two of the most important issues facing the city during a tour of small businesses Tuesday.

Monroe-Moreno is not seeking re-election to the Nevada Assembly as she runs for mayor. She is a fifth-term Assembly member, speaker pro tempore, chair of the Ways and Means Committee and the chair of the Nevada Democratic Party. She announced her intent to run for North Las Vegas mayor in July.

Current Mayor Pamela Goynes-Brown, who can’t seek re-election because of term limits, endorsed Councilman Scott Black after he announced his candidacy in May. Black has served on the City Council since 2017 and would be limited to one term if he wins.

While visiting local businesses, Monroe-Moreno said housing and the economy would be areas of focus should she become mayor.

“I’ll be the biggest cheerleader for the city and to bring in good-paying jobs so that North Las Vegas residents can actually work in the city that they live,” she said.

Monroe-Moreno visited six local small businesses Tuesday, including a barbershop, bakery and pizzeria. Another stop was The After Market, which functions as both an affordable grocery store and food pantry.

Owner DeWayne McCoy said he’s been doing “community stuff” with Monroe-Moreno for years through The After Market and his previous job at Three Square, a food bank in Southern Nevada. McCoy added he’s excited to see Monroe-Moreno run for mayor because she has a heart for the community.

“I’ve seen her reach out to be a support for places like The After Market or just neighborhoods in itself,” he said. “And so knowing that she’s going to step into that role and bring that sense of community back to North Las Vegas, I’m excited about it.”

‘Make sure that we’re prepared’

Monroe-Moreno and McCoy walked down grocery store aisles as a contracted film crew gathered promotional material. The pair discussed how tariffs imposed by President Donald Trump’s administration will affect The After Market and businesses in general.

“It’s going to have a direct impact, and as a City Council, we have to make sure that we’re prepared for that,” Monroe-Moreno said. “You plan for the worst, and you budget for the worst and hope for the best. But it’s also relationships. And I have relationships with our state leaders, with our federal delegation, but also with Clark County and leaders in Las Vegas and Henderson.”

Another stop, tsp. baking company, has a “mystery cupcake” customers can get for free if they guess the flavor just by looking at it. After a bit of prompting, Monroe-Moreno successfully guessed and then ate the peanut butter and jelly sandwich cupcake.

It was at the bakery where Monroe-Moreno brought up her vision of implementing “rent stabilization” in North Las Vegas. The policy involves regulating the rate of rent increases.

Addressing the cost of housing is especially important when considering seniors moving to North Las Vegas to retire, Monroe-Moreno said.

“The rent’s going up $300, but the retirement check didn’t go up” she said. “And how do they offset that difference? Having stabilization for my seniors is vitally important.”

Monroe-Moreno repeatedly said that she is against rent caps setting a hard limit on how much rent can be increased. Many of her perspectives on housing draw from experiences as a landlord in Arizona after inheriting a house from family, she said.

“Our home became a home that I was able to rent out for a number of years for families, and a number of them were single moms with children,” Monroe-Moreno said.

One of the most significant housing issues facing North Las Vegas is Windsor Park, a historically Black community that for decades has grappled with sunken homes, roads and utilities. The North Las Vegas City Council approved a development providing new houses to residents June 11. But some residents expressed frustration with Goynes-Brown’s handling of the neighborhood during the council meeting.

While noting she can’t fully understand the situation’s nuances until sitting in the seat of mayor and opening city books, Monroe-Moreno said said one avenue could be looking for funding from the federal government.

“The work with the housing division, what can the city do more working in collaboration with them to bring funding that’s maybe not at the state level?” she said.

Monroe-Moreno also said she is talking to UNLV about a potential medical corridor in North Las Vegas on the north side of the 215 Beltway. This land was slotted to be the next campus for the university, she added.

A previous version of this story incorrectly described Assemblymember Daniele Monroe-Moreno’s plans as she runs for North Las Vegas mayor. She will serve out her term in the Nevada Assembly but not seek re-election.

The two-week candidate filing period for North Las Vegas mayor opens March 2.

Contact Finnegan Belleau at fbelleau@reviewjournal.com.