Foes say official broke his vow
EDITOR’S NOTE: This is one in a series of stories previewing local municipal races for the April 2 primary election.
Henderson City Councilman John Marz is running in the Ward 3 race despite criticism from three challengers who say he went back on his promise not to seek election.
“This guy took an unfair advantage,” said Milt Doyle, a Realtor. “He said he’d be out in 15 months. Henderson needs someone who won’t go back on their word.”
Appointed to represent Ward 3 in 2012 after Kathleen Vermillion resigned, Marz, 66, said he would not seek a full term.
“I had no intention of running when I accepted the position,” Marz said. “I realized once I got on council, I wanted to accomplish more than what I could get done in a year.”
Marz was appointed by a 3-1 vote opposed by Councilwoman Gerri Schroder. Doyle and Erin Lale also sought the appointment.
Doyle, 63, also ran for Clark County Commission in 1998. Lale ran for Assembly District 29 in 2010. Both were unsuccessful in their attempts.
“He said on the record that it was not fair that an appointee run because it would give them an unfair advantage,” Lale said. “He was right. But, a year later he runs.”
Bruce Cutler, 68, said he didn’t apply for the appointment because he was sure Marz, a former member of the Henderson Planning Commission, would get it.
“He is part of the status quo,” Cutler said. “He was part of the Planning Commission and part of the good ol’ boy network.”
He wasn’t surprised when Marz announced his campaign.
Marz isn’t fazed by the accusations of his opponents. “I’m aware of what my opponents are saying, and that’s their prerogative,” Marz said.
Cutler, a retired insurance agent and a current driver for O’Reilly Auto Parts, ran for Ward 3 in 2009 against Vermillion.
In his year in office, Marz, who runs a marketing consulting firm, has dealt with the appointment of the police chief and city manager and the controversy surrounding the Henderson stadium deal.
“This guy really misled the city,” Doyle said of Chris Milam, the developer of the project. “The City Council really has some cleaning up to do.”
Lale, a 44-year-old author, former publisher and acquisitions editor with the publishing company Eternal Press, said she would have been more skeptical.
“Seeing (Milam’s) long history of failure, I would have done more investigating,” she said.
Milam unveiled the proposed project before Marz’s appointment. The councilman was absent during the vote to add an amendment to the master plan agreement.
Marz, who said he couldn’t go into details because of litigation, said the only people pressing the issue are the media.
“My constituents aren’t asking about it,” he said. “The general public isn’t asking about it.”
Marz said his time in office has helped identify his top two issues: neighborhood preservation and financial stability.
He said the city is working hard to move forward on Union Village, a state-of-the-art medical, entertainment, residential and cultural facility near U.S. Highway 95 and Galleria Drive.
St. Rose Dominican Hospitals announced that it was pulling out of the project.
“I am 100 percent behind Union Village,” he said. “We have a growing baby boomer population, and health care is going to be a No. 1 priority for them.”
Doyle said if the project is funded, it could add jobs to Henderson and be good for the economy.
Lale wants to focus on incentives for new businesses.
“I am proposing a tax holiday for new businesses for the first three years,” she said.
Doyle wants to bridge the gap between the Henderson Police Department and City Council.
“There needs to be more accountability,” he said. “It has gotten better since (Chief) Jutta Chambers was the chief, but it still has a way to go.”
The Ward 3 council seat is a nonpartisan, at-large election, with a four-year term with an annual salary of $44,288.
The primary is April 2, and the general election is June 4. Early voting is Saturday through March 29.
Contact Henderson/Anthem View reporter Michael Lyle at mlyle@viewnews.com or 702-387-5201.
