Assembly District 17 vacancy draws 9 qualified candidates

By the 5 p.m. Tuesday deadline, nine qualified candidates, all from North Las Vegas, had applied to fill the open Assembly District 17 seat.

County commissioners on Tuesday will pick one of them to represent the district for the rest of the legislative session .

Mujahid Ramadan and Michael Kelly both applied on Tuesday for the vacancy left by the ouster of former Assemblyman Steven Brooks.

Ramadan was the state’s drug policy director from 1989 to 1992.

Ramadan is the owner and chief executive officer of M.R. Consulting Inc., which assists clients with workplace issues, including diversity and cultural sensitivity.  As the state’s drug czar, Ramadan worked in the administration of Gov. Bob Miller, a Democrat. From 1987 to 1989, Ramadan was a regional representative for Sen. Harry Reid, D-Nev., a job that included acting as liaison to Nellis Air Force Base.

Kelly is a compliance and enforcement investigator with the Nevada Taxicab Authority.

All applicants were required to be registered Democrats and residents of the legislative district.

Other candidates include Meli Pulido, executive director of Project 150, a non-profit organization that helps homeless students; Michelle Jotz, an Internal Affairs detective for the Metropolitan Police Department; Glynn Coleman, a career specialist; and William Robinson II, a banker.

Others seeking the job include Odis “Tyrone” Thompson, regional initiatives coordinator for the Southern Nevada Regional Planning Coalition; Kelly Thomas, director of operations for a Las Vegas contractor and a former Democratic legislator for Assembly District 16 from 1999 to 2001; and Fred Young, a retired bailiff and supervisor for a telecommunications company.

There is another candidate, Brandon Casutt of Las Vegas, who owns a sign manufacturing and installation company. But it’s unclear whether commissioners will consider Casutt’s application. It arrived at 5:06 p.m. Tuesday — six minutes past the deadline. And county officials hadn’t yet confirmed Tuesday that his address is within the district.