Community activist picked to fill NLV Ward 4 position

Members of the North Las Vegas City Council voted unanimously during a special meeting Wednesday to appoint community activist Richard Cherchio, 62, to the city's vacant Ward 4 council seat.

His term begins immediately.

The seat was vacated by Councilwoman Shari Buck, who was elected mayor last month.

"I am on cloud nine right now," Cherchio said. "I am excited to be able to serve the citizens of North Las Vegas in this capacity."

Cherchio ran unsuccessfully against Buck in 2007, receiving 24 percent of the vote.

The retired letter carrier and president of the North Las Vegas Alliance of Home Owners Associations and Concerned Citizens was selected from a field of 26 applicants that was reduced to six as council members announced their top two candidates.

Each of the candidates had been individually interviewed by council members over the last month.

The final list of candidates for the seat included Planning Commissioner P. Jo Cato, former commissioner Laura E. Perkins, Richard Sadler, Jason E. Torres, Wade Wagner and Cherchio.

Ward 3 Councilwoman Anita Wood said that she voted in favor of appointing the New York native because of the strong leadership roles he had already held.

"I think that his work in the community through the years has proven over and over that Richard is in this for the overall good of the community," she said.

Cherchio, who moved from Florida to North Las Vegas in 2001, said that his vision for the city over the next two years will include the creation of city and community-based volunteer programs, citizen advisory boards and trying to find solutions for the current lull in development.

"There is a lot of work to do, but it can be done," he said. "My vision is to bring people together."

Cherchio said he plans to run for the seat when his appointed term ends in 2011.

"The people will decide in two years if I am worth keeping," he said. "I'm in this for the long haul."

Contact North Las Vegas and Downtown View reporter Amanda Llewellyn at allewellyn@viewnews.com or 380-4535.