North Las Vegas City Council Ward 2: Linda Meisenheimer and Pamela Goynes-Brown

Linda Meisenheimer let the cards fall where they may.

And in the end it made all the difference.

After tying with competitor Tanya Flanagan in the April 5 primary for the North Las Vegas City Council Ward 2 race, it came down to a card draw to see who would advance to the general election.

Both candidates drew diamonds. Flanagan, a web content administrator for Clark County, picked a five. Meisenheimer, a property manager, picked a king.

She will face Pamela Goynes-Brown, an assistant principal in the Clark County School District, in the June 7 election.

Meisenheimer is focused on children, public safety, community and the economy. Her campaign details how to bring businesses and jobs to the financially strapped city while balancing the budget.

"I'm honest, hardworking, and I have good values," the 49-year-old said. "I truly, truly care. I know I can make a difference. That's why I want to do this."

Meisenheimer said she understands the tough economy -- she lost two jobs in a 6 -month timespan because of downsizing -- before becoming a Realtor.

"I know what it's like taking a job making a fraction of what you're accustomed to," she said.

She helped bring the company she works for, Real Property Management, 4362 W. Cheyenne Ave. , to conduct business in the city.

Her campaign also explores renegotiating the city's "C-taxes," which are tax revenues from sales, liquor and cigarette taxes, real estate property transfers and government services taxes collected by the state and then redistributed through the state's consolidated tax distribution formula.

When the population doubled, the share of the city's C-taxes increased.

Meisenheimer examines the state of the ward's neighborhoods, which are older. She promises to make funding for sidewalk and lighting projects a priority, according to her campaign website.

She also discusses seeking partnerships with nonprofits and other charities for help in offering "the same services as our government more efficiently and for less money."

To cope with the city's foreclosures, Meisenheimer proposes a vacant property registration -- a database of sorts that charges banks $133 to $150 to save property information to exchange with the police department, the Secretary of State, homeowner's associations and elsewhere.

"That way you can hold banks accountable, see who is a registered voter still on a vacant property and cut down on that fraud and list a broker contact so they can keep (the property) up," she said.

She added that foreclosures within her ward are treated differently by brokers -- some board up the windows while others don't even bother to list the property. Crime around these areas is up, Meisenheimer said.

"We're close to having the state take over, shame on us," she said. "We really need to have things addressed, delve into other areas, regarding how to bring in money and things of that nature. I'm going to try to see where we're at with these different issues."

Meisenheimer has been married to Roscoe, 34, for 10 years. She has three children: Nicole, 28; Crystal, 26; and Joe, 24; and six grandchildren.

For more information about this candidate, visit lindam-nlv.com/.

Pamela Goynes-Brown

Pamela Goynes-Brown grew up in North Las Vegas' Ward 2.

That was during a time when neighbors knew each other by name.

Now, neighborhoods there need some work -- as they do elsewhere throughout the city. Foreclosures, abandoned homes and buildings, trash, graffiti and makeshift dumping grounds in empty lots pose blight and crime problems.

That's why Goynes-Brown is running to fill the soon-to-be-vacated seat by term-limited William Robinson. Goynes-Brown, an assistant principal in the Clark County School District, was the top vote-getter during April's primary. She will face property manager Linda Meisenheimer in the June 7 general election.

"We need beautification projects so people are feeling safe in their neighborhoods," Goynes-Brown said. "We need people getting out of their homes, getting to know their neighbors and mingling. We need to get kids playing again like it was when we were growing up."

The Ms. Jacksons and Ms. Simmons of the neighborhoods that kept an eye out on where children were and what they were doing are gone, she added.

Generations have shifted their priorities as technology advances -- keeping more kids indoors than ever before.

"The feedback (from the community) has been really positive," Goynes-Brown said. "Some of the issues I mentioned are some of the same concerns shared by my constituents."

Encouraging businesses to relocate to the financially strapped city and creating jobs is Goynes-Brown's campaign priority.

If elected, the 48-year-old vows to put together a business advisory group to search for and develop jobs, reach out to the banking and real estate leaders to reduce the foreclosure rates and address neighborhood issues.

"We need to put people back to work," Goynes-Brown said, in a written statement. "…We need to work diligently and diplomatically for better cooperation with our local and state governments to streamline the way government works and get the most bang for every tax dollar."

Her campaign also examines how she would work to get the city a larger share of the state's tax revenue, a point long argued by city officials.

As for cuts in the budget, Goynes-Brown declined to comment, stating she couldn't weigh in until she takes office.

Goynes-Brown has 28 years of experience as an educator. In that time, she has dealt with budget shortfalls within schools.

"I deal with it on the end of supplies and materials and where we allocate funds within the school," she said. "Finding out what things best meet the needs of our students and finding purchasing programs to better our education practices at our school."

She added that voters need to know she's "a level-headed, fair-minded person."

She also wants to help create "sustainable youth programs that develop career opportunities" while encouraging them to set goals and stay in school.

Goynes-Brown's father, Theron Goynes, spent 20 years on council. It was watching her father work on council as a child that helped influence her decision to run.

The jazz music lover is married to her husband, Romero, 58, and has two sons, Bobby, 20, and Michael, 15. She loves her 150-gallon fish tank full of angel fish and zebra-striped fish.

Contact Downtown and North Las Vegas View reporter Kristi Jourdan at kjourdan@viewnews.com or 383-0492.