Two trade insider label

The race for the Ward 3 seat on the Henderson City Council is shaping up as a battle between an insider and an outsider.

Just don't expect the two candidates to agree on which one is which.

Kathleen Boutin considers Cathy Rosenfield an insider because of her long service to the city, her close ties to Henderson officials, and the support her campaign is receiving from City Councilwoman Gerri Schroder.

"I'm not part of the establishment," Boutin said, noting that it sometimes takes someone from outside the bureaucracy to spot efficiencies and offer solutions.

Rosenfield laughs at the idea that she is the insider in the race. She considers Boutin a political insider with a seemingly endless supply of money and support from elected leaders and party elite.

Most of Boutin's support comes from "big money government players from outside Henderson," Rosenfield said. "I wonder how independent the decisions will be of someone like that."

Neither woman has run for elected office before. They are competing in the nonpartisan race to replace four-term Councilman Jack Clark, who was prevented from running again by term limits.

After spending about five times more money than her five opponents combined, Boutin got more than 45 percent of the votes cast in the primary.

Rosenfield finished a distant second with about 23 percent.

Early voting for the general election lasts through May 29. Election Day is June 2.

Boutin said she is humbled by the number of votes she received in the primary and proud to have so many prominent people standing behind her campaign.

"I'm not going to apologize for the broad-based support I've received," she said. "I've had to work very hard for everything. I've had to work hard for every single one of those dollars, every one of those endorsements, every one of those votes."

Clark County Commissioner Steve Sisolak is one of Boutin's biggest supporters. His quotes appear on her mailers and his donations appear on her campaign finance reports.

And while Boutin describes him as a mentor, the relationship runs far deeper than that. The two have been romantically involved for about three years, and she worked hard on his campaign for the commission. Now he's returning the favor, she said.

But Boutin downplays any potential awkwardness or conflict.

"I wouldn't have helped Steve if I didn't think he would make a great county commissioner, and I don't think he would be helping me if he didn't feel the same," she said.

Rosenfield knows she will be outspent again in the general election, but said she is doing all she can with the campaign resources she has.

"I am the underdog, less politically connected I guess you could say," she said. "But it is supposed to be a citizen legislature in Henderson, and I think having an independent voice on the council is an important thing."

Rosenfield has lived in Henderson for 20 years and served the city in various capacities for more than a decade, including as chairwoman of the Parks and Recreation Board.

Rosenfield said she holds a bachelor's degree in business management and runs a small vacation rental business. When pressed for details she explained that she rents out a condominium she and her husband own in Brian Head, Utah.

Rosenfield said the work is part time so she would have "more time to devote to the job" of councilwoman.

"I know the people at City Hall, and I have a working knowledge of the city," she said. "I'm an insider from the perspective that I've worked closely with the city for a long time. That's not a bad thing."

Rosenfield likes what Henderson has done so far to address the recession and its impact on the budget, specifically the city's five-year plan to balance the budget amid sharp declines in sales tax and other revenue.

Her top priority as city leaders prepare for the possibility of additional cuts: "I'd really like to preserve jobs, not put more unemployed people into the economy."

Rosenfield thinks Henderson might be able to save some money through more efficient use of City Hall, where she sees some "pretty empty spaces." The city might even be able to move enough staff into City Hall to mothball one of its satellite offices at least temporarily, she said.

Boutin is a valley native who went from being a ward of the state at age 12 to earning a college degree and running several small businesses.

She also worked for publicly traded companies and for what is now known as the Southern Nevada Health District before founding the Nevada Partnership for Homeless Youth, a nonprofit dedicated to getting children off the street.

She now serves as executive director of the partnership's foundation, a job that requires her to oversee 15 employees and an annual budget of $2.5 million.

For the last eight years, she has served on Henderson's Citizens Advisory Committee, a panel of volunteers who make recommendations to the City Council on various community issues.

Boutin applauds the city for what she called its creative response to its budget troubles so far, which has included voluntary buyouts and furloughs and the elimination of car allowances among other things.

She said good financial stewardship has bought Henderson the time it needs to diversify its economy with such emerging industries as renewable energy research and production.

Rosenfield also has spoken in support of economic diversification and luring green energy projects to Henderson.

If elected, Boutin said she would push for the city to adopt "zero-based budgeting" so that all expenditures in every department come under review each year.

She also promises to be an advocate for Henderson's children and senior citizens.

The race is nonpartisan, but neither candidate makes a secret about where she stands.

Other than a brief stint as an independent when she first moved to Nevada, Rosenfield is a lifelong Democrat.

Boutin was a Republican for most of her life, but she became a Democrat in 2006 because she didn't support the agenda of the Bush administration.

"I still don't," she said.

Outgoing Councilman Clark has not endorsed either candidate, and he doesn't plan to. He was the one who nominated Rosenfield for the Parks and Recreation Board and Boutin to the Citizen Advisory Committee, and he thinks either woman would represent the city well on the council.

Besides, Clark doesn't think it is his place to weigh in on who should replace him. "I think they're both good candidates," he said.

In other words, it will be up to voters to decide who the insider really is, and who deserves to be.

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