Election Day turnout remains low in municipal primaries

Experience carried the day in Henderson today, as six-term City Councilman Andy Hafen and four-term City Councilman Steve Kirk comfortably advanced in the race for mayor.

Hafen took 37 percent and Kirk took 32 percent of the 16,720 votes cast.

Trailing them were former City Councilwoman Amanda Cyphers with 16 percent, former Henderson Police Chief Michael Mayberry with 13 percent and personal injury attorney Richard Sipan with about 2 percent.

“I’m really pleased with the numbers because we’ve been working hard to get our message out there,” Hafen said by telephone from his election night party at the Henderson Convention Center.

Money also might have had something to do with the results.

Kirk and Hafen were the top spenders in their contest, while Kathleen Boutin spent about five times more than all her opponents combined and nearly won the Ward 3 City Council seat outright.

Boutin took more than 45 percent of the vote in the six-candidate race. She will face second-place finisher Cathy Rosenfield, whose name was marked on about 23 percent of the ballots cast.

The final winners in both contests will be determined in the June 2 general election.

Incumbent Henderson Municipal Judge Douglas Hedger won’t have to wait until then.

He captured a second 6-year term in Department 2 with a lopsided victory over Henderson Police Sgt. E. Matthew Zobrist.

Turnout was predictably low, though it did surpass what Nevada’s second most populous city saw during the 2007 municipal primary.

Almost 13 percent of Henderson’s 131,678 active registered voters cast ballots, up from 11 percent turnout two years ago.

Contact reporter Henry Brean at hbrean@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0350.