Q&A: Meet the candidates for the Las Vegas City Council Ward 4 seat

STAVROS ANTHONY

Age: 52

Occupation: Police captain, university system regent

Q: New City Hall: Yea or nay?

A: "It's not a right time to build a City Hall, since we already have a City Hall. Talking to people in Ward 4, it's overwhelming; they don't want to build a new City Hall right now."

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Q: How important is redevelopment?

A: "I'm all for attracting new businesses that are going to attract brand new jobs. I'm all for redeveloping downtown" -- for instance, with projects like the Smith Center for the Performing Arts.

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Q: What can the city do to meet budget challenges that hasn't already been done?

A: "This is a ripe time for the city, county and other jurisdictions to get together and look at consolidating. Where are we duplicating efforts between the city and county? ... It's got to be focused and strategic and studied."

SAM CHRISTOS

Age: 33

Occupation: Teacher, real estate professional, dealer

Q: New City Hall: Yea or nay?

A: "Initially, I thought that it probably wasn't the best use of money ... (but) we do need new jobs. By the time a new council person takes office, it would already be in motion. I'm trying to accept that and focus on the positives."

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Q: How important is redevelopment?

A: "Revitalization is especially important in a depressed economy. The people who live in an area that needs revitalization need extra help."

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Q: What can the city do to meet budget challenges that hasn't already been done?

A: "There's always room for negotiations in salaries. People will be more than willing to do their part to chip away at that budget deficit, as long as it's within reason."

GARY HOSEA

Age: 56

Occupation: Clark County employee

Q: New City Hall: Yea or nay?

A: "I want to see a cost figure on it first, and then I will ask the people. I think it should've gone to a vote of the people."

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Q: How important is redevelopment?

A: "I support redevelopment downtown ... but at what cost? We need to look at redevelopment downtown. We need to get more investors in there, broaden our tax base."

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Q: What can the city do to meet budget challenges that hasn't already been done?

A: "I want to take an independent auditor, and I want to audit every single department in the city to see where we can cut costs. The city only did a cursory review."

YVONNE KARIM

Age: 59

Occupation: Flight attendant

Q: New City Hall: Yea or nay?

A: "At this point, I don't have enough information on where they stand. That decision is going to be what my constituents want."

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Q: How important is redevelopment?

A: "We have 13,000 jobs that can be created, and on and on and on. There's a $150 million shortfall over the next five years, and the city wants to do cutbacks. We need to see where the budget goes and then make a final decision."

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Q: What can the city do to meet budget challenges that hasn't already been done?

A: "We can just go to the books and start making sure that we take care of that and do what we we're supposed to be doing."

TERESA PRICE

Age: 51

Occupation: Volunteer health advocate, former casino dealer

Q: New City Hall: Yea or nay?

A: "My opinion has varied. ... It creates a lot of jobs. There are strings attached. The economy's really bad right now, and do we have the money to do that? I don't know."

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Q: How important is redevelopment?

A: "I am an advocate for redevelopment. That brings business. (But) we can't go overboard. You have to know how much money you have to start the project; and if five years down the road you have to pay the note, do you have the money?"

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Q: What can the city do to meet budget challenges that hasn't already been done?

A: "Not laying people off, but workers working four days a week, 10-hour shifts. Maybe you could close some offices; less energy is used."

GLENN TROWBRIDGE

Age: 65

Occupation: Former Clark County executive; current vice chairman of Las Vegas Planning Commission

Q: New City Hall: Yea or nay?

A: "I think that some of my concerns could be alleviated if the funding for the projects is done in such a way that it's not going to raise the taxpayers' rates. Redevelopment bonds ... do not necessarily increase the tax rate. If that is to be the case, then there's no reason to oppose it. (But) if the money is going to cost too much, maybe now is not the time to do it."

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Q: How important is redevelopment?

A: "The concept of building a new City Hall, the concept of redeveloping downtown, I think they're extremely important. Ultimately, they're going to fly."

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Q: What can the city do to meet budget challenges that hasn't already been done?

A: Trowbridge noted that cities put aside money in funds for specific uses, like capital expenditures: "The city has had those pools of money for some time. There may be the opportunity to address some of the shortfalls with reallocation of those monies."

ALAN CHOATE/LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL