Mayor sets positive tone with State of the City Address

North Las Vegas Mayor Shari Buck positively reflected on progress she saw in the city in 2012 during her State of the City address Jan. 15 at Texas Station, pushing the slogan, "Come build with us."

"This past year, our City Council came together on goals, progression and purpose as never before," Buck said to a room full of local and state politicians, residents, city employees and even her parents.

She thanked the council for its "bold" action in addressing financial concerns facing North Las Vegas, such as the closing of its jail.

Buck laid out her list of accomplishments from the previous year, including the city's credit rating improvement, city walks that reached out to roughly 300 business owners, the integration of the North Las Vegas Chamber of Commerce with the Las Vegas chamber, the opening of the Department of Veterans Affairs hospital and managing a fiscal state of emergency without laying off police officers and firefighters.

"It's a new day, and we're dealing with these issues," Buck said.

She said her conversations with residents have made it clear that while safety is a concern, avoiding cuts to social services are vital, too. She highlighted the reduction of North Las Vegas library hours but with the commitment of keeping two of three libraries open every day. She pointed to the City Council's January vote to approve a foreclosure ordinance that targets banks and mortgage companies contributing to blight in the city as an example of an effort not to gloss over the little things.

She also highlighted North Las Vegas-based companies SasaSweets/Sasapops, Windset Farms, NLV Bottling Company and Clearwater Paper Corporation, pointing to the cucumbers in the salads of the luncheon guests' plates as being among the 40,000 produced daily at Windset Farms.

During the address, Buck focused on the volunteers contributing their time, from churches to pawn shops and even council members. Buck recognized Councilman Robert Eliason, who will be leaving office this year after reaching his 12-year term limit. She and Eliason attended Rancho High School together, and Buck thanked him for his help in organizing large volunteer days in the city such as Make A Difference Day in October. She gave a nod to Goodwill of Southern Nevada, based in North Las Vegas, and to an Eagle Scout group that installed 130 fire detectors with the North Las Vegas Fire Department in December.

"We welcome 2013 as a year of hope and unlimited opportunity," Buck said.

Councilwoman Anita Wood said she thought Buck did a wonderful job during the address, and the only thing she thought was missing was acknowledging the reopening of the Southern Nevada Health District clinic at 955 W. Craig Road, Suite 103D, in what Wood called a medically underserved neighborhood. The clinic offers children's immunizations, school-mandated vaccinations, sports physicals, flu immunizations and kiosks for health card applications.

City Manager Tim Hacker said he was happy to see Buck acknowledge volunteers, and he agreed with her upbeat tone.

"It (Buck's speech) was based in reality but focused on what we all need to remember, which is that the best years of North Las Vegas is in our future," Hacker said.

But not everyone was as satisfied by the mayor's address.

Political challenger and mayoral candidate John Lee compared the speech to violins on a sinking ship.

"As a former Eagle Scout and current Boy Scout leader, I have taught hundreds of boys how to use a map to navigate, which begins by first knowing your exact position on the map," Lee said. "Our town is bankrupt and on the verge of losing its city charter, and the leadership necessary to save our town must begin with an honest understanding of where we are, not a fanciful speech reminiscent of the quintet that played on the deck of the sinking Titanic."

Contact Centennial and North Las Vegas View reporter Laura Phelps at lphelps@viewnews.com or 702-477-3839.