North Las Vegas City Council candidates need more work — and maybe luck

Let the battles continue.

Neither of North Las Vegas' City Council races was decided in Tuesday's primary, which means a couple more months of municipal election drama in the city, including the potential draw of a card to determine one second-place finisher.

Incumbent Ward 4 Councilman Richard Cherchio, who garnered 44 percent of the vote, will advance to face dentist Wade Wagner, who led with 47 percent, in the June 7 general.

"I thought we were going to win it (in the primary), but I'm pleased with where we are," Wagner said. To win without going to the general election, candidates must collect more than 50 percent of the votes. "We're definitely happy, and we will continue to get our message out."

Cherchio congratulated Wagner and said he looks forward to the opportunity to have "some concrete and robust debate" on the issues.

"I don't consider this to be a negative," he said of Tuesday's outcome. "We'll have more opportunities to discuss the issues."

Cherchio, 64, has been fighting to keep the seat he was appointed to in 2009, while simultaneously being attacked by the city's public safety unions, who have campaigned against him. The feud has overshadowed the contest between the councilman and Wagner.

Meanwhile, more than half of Wagner's campaign contributions this year came from Las Vegas Valley public safety unions. North Las Vegas' police and fire unions have gone door to door to campaign against Cherchio, who voted for laying off corrections officers and butted heads with union leaders during contract concession talks.

In North Las Vegas' extremely tight Ward 2 race, William E. Robinson II, son of term-limited Councilman William Robinson, missed making it out of the primary. Instead, candidates Pamela Goynes-Brown, with 27 percent of the vote, will advance and face either Tanya Flanagan or Linda Meisenheimer, who tied for second with 21 percent of the vote each. Both women received 328 votes.

Because the two tied, either of the candidates can request a recount within three business days after the election is certified, said Larry Lomax, Clark County registrar of voters. Whoever requests the recount also has to pay for it, he said. If neither candidate requests a recount or if the recount results remain tied, the winner is determined by lot, which in Nevada traditionally means the candidates draw for high card.

Ties such as this typically happen in rural areas with tiny electorates. It happened twice in Nevada last year: first in a primary race for Nye County Commission, then to break a tie for clerk-treasurer of Eureka County. Both were ties for first place.

Lomax said he doesn't remember a case in which there has been such a tie for second place.

Goynes-Brown, 48, is an assistant principal and the daughter of Theron Goynes, who spent 20 years on the council.

Flanagan, 40, is a web content administrator for Clark County and a former Las Vegas Review-Journal reporter.

Meisenheimer, 49, is a property manager and 10-year resident of North Las Vegas.

Council members serve four-year terms and earn $41,827 a year.

Whoever is elected will join the council at a difficult time for the cash-strapped city, which in recent years has undergone several rounds of budget cuts, service reductions and layoffs. Municipal election turnout is notoriously slow in North Las Vegas, but this election was downright comatose. Only 6,637 people cast votes this year -- just 9.2 percent of the city's registered active voters.

Election workers at Sedway Middle School had seen just 61 voters by mid-afternoon. At Cheyenne High School, more people showed up to watch an afternoon baseball game than had voted all day. By 4 p.m., just 84 people had voted at the high school, or about 10 people for each election worker there.

About 224,940 people live in North Las Vegas.

Review-Journal writer Henry Brean contributed to this report. Contact reporter Lynnette Curtis at lcurtis@
reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0285.