End of Goodman era: Here are 15 candidates vying to be next Las Vegas’ mayor
The quarter-century reign of the Goodman family sitting at the head of the Las Vegas City Council will end this year as 15 hopefuls strive to become the next mayor to represent the city’s more than 650,000 residents.
Oscar Goodman and Carolyn Goodman have served in the post since 1999, and the latter can’t run for re-election because she’s termed out.
The packed nonpartisan race could end as early as the June primary if one of the candidates receives more than 50 percent of the vote. Otherwise, the top two candidates will advance onto a runoff during the November general election.
The Las Vegas Review-Journal has interviewed some of the hopefuls — including a former U.S. congresswoman and two current council members — and here is a list of the candidates who officially filed for the race this month.
Shelley Berkley
The former federal official served in Congress for seven terms and later became the senior vice president of the Touro University system. She announced her candidacy more than a year ago.
Cedric Crear
Councilman Cedric Crear announced his candidacy three years ago.
Crear is a former city planning commissioner and Nevada System of Higher Education regent. After joining the council in 2018 after a special election, he was re-elected in 2019.
Crear represents Ward 5 which encompasses the Historic Westside.
Victoria Seaman
Councilwoman Victoria Seaman launched her campaign in February 2023.
The former Nevada assemblywoman has served on the council since 2019.
Seaman represents Ward 2 residents in the west valley including Summerlin.
Kara Jenkins
Kara Jenkins, who has served Nevada for a decade under governors Brian Sandoval, Steve Sisolak and Joe Lombardo, is the administrator for the Nevada Equal Rights Commission.
Jenkins, also known as “KJ,” has also served as the Southern Nevada director of Access to Healthcare Network, a nonprofit that delivers resources to marginalized groups. She announced her run in late 2021.
Deb Peck
Deb Peck is a small business owner and licensed insurance agent.
She announced her candidacy a year ago, and it’s the first time she’s running for public office.
Peck is a self-described political conservative whose Las Vegas roots date back to the 1930s.
Tera Anderson
Tera Anderson is a businesswoman with experience in land and economic development.
A graduate of Durango High School, she earned a bachelor’s degree in political science and international relations from the University of Puget Sound and a master’s from Thunderbird School of Global Management at Arizona State University.
She’s served as the city’s neighborhood association president and on the CASA Foundation.
Dock Walls
Chicago native William “Dock” Walls served in the 1980s under former Chicago Mayor Harold Washington, and said he was instrumental in overhauling the city’s departments of traffic, sanitation, water, sewer and inspection services.
He’s a business owner with degrees from Tuskegee University in Alabama and Chicago-Kent College of Law.
Donna Miller
Donna Miller is a veteran nurse and founder of a medical flight company.
A native of Romania, she immigrated to the U.S. in 1991 to pursue her medical career. She has been a bedside and flight nurse.
She’s also a former regional director for the AMR/MedicWest ambulance companies.
Dan Chapman
Dan Chapman served in the U.S. Army’s 82nd Airborne Division, according to his biography, which describes him as a successful businessman.
“He’s acutely aware of the challenges entrepreneurs face and is committed to making our city an even more business-friendly environment,” his campaign website states.
Irina Hansen
Irina Hansen’s mayoral candidate website describes her as a salon and spa business owner and a licensed real estate agent who is a member of the Las Vegas Realtors Association and National Realtors Association.
She emigrated from Romania in 1978 and moved to Las Vegas in 1998.
Lynn Baird
Lynn Baird’s mayoral candidate website states that he’s away as a missionary for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
The site states that he will begin campaigning later this month.
Rounding out the list
Other candidates include Eric Medlin, Janiecia Fernandez, Kolawole S. Akingbade and Michael Pacino.
Contact Ricardo Torres-Cortez at rtorres@reviewjournal.com.
