North Las Vegas appoints first Latina to City Council
The North Las Vegas City Council appointed a new member Wednesday to replace newly elected Mayor Pamela Goynes-Brown, a former councilwoman.
But the council split with its new leader over who should fill the seat.
Ruth Garcia Anderson was sworn in as the first Latina to serve on the five-member council after a short special meeting in which the elected officials heard final pitches from eight candidates they previously had interviewed.
Councilwoman Garcia Anderson will represent Ward 2, which runs roughly from Rancho Drive to Interstate 15, and from Lake Mead Boulevard all the way to Centennial Parkway.
Before the 3-1 vote at City Hall, Garcia briefly touched on her family roots and qualifications.
A Mexico-born daughter of immigrant parents, she first moved to Reno at the age of 12 and attended the University of Nevada, Reno, graduating with a dual degree in international business and Spanish, with a minor in marketing.
She has worked as a Spanish interpreter for Washoe County and courts and briefly taught the language at the K-12 level. She also managed an apartment complex where she helped to house refugees, according to a copy of her application to the job.
Garcia Anderson is a mother of four, and wife of a business owner. They’ve lived in North Las Vegas for a decade. This is her first foray into public office.
Other applicants included Nevada System of Higher Education Regent Laura Perkins, a real estate agent, and Trish Geran, a community organizer with experience in architecture and engineering.
Goynes-Brown made a motion to appoint Geran to her former seat, but no other members of the council joined her.
Then Councilman Isaac Barron nominated Garcia Anderson, flipping the vote with support from Councilmen Scott Black and Richard Cherchio. No other vote was necessary.
Garcia Anderson’s term ends in 2024.
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Contact Ricardo Torres-Cortez at rtorres@reviewjournal.com. Follow him on Twitter @rickytwrites.
