Mayor addresses concerns at North Las Vegas town hall
North Las Vegas, NV (KTNV) -- Mayor Shari Buck held a town hall meeting Wednesday night at Aliante Station casino to address public concerns and outline a vision for the city's future.
"We want you to be happy that you live in North Las Vegas," Mayor Buck told the packed crowd of several hundred residents.
Mayor Buck outlined a strategic plan for the city, spoke of new parks, new business opportunities and new budget realities. For the most part, the crowd liked what they heard.
"I was very comfortable with it. I realize it, they don't have the money. But they are doing a good job," said Marilyn Konecny.
"I think this meeting did help. I think it answered a lot of questions," added her husband Jim Konecny.
One of the biggest questions was what is going on with the fire department. The union has been handing out fliers in recent days warning of station closures.
In reality, Mayor Buck says not one firefighter has been laid off. Stations will only be closed temporarily when there is a high level of sick calls because the city needs to crack down on overtime. Mayor Buck acknowledged the recent union scare tactics.
"I feel sorry for them and I encourage them if they are not happy in their jobs to go out in the private sector and to look at what's going on in the real world because they have it pretty good," Mayor Buck told Action News after her speech.
For a city that's been hit harder in this recession than almost any other, this town hall's message of optimism is just what people wanted to hear.
"The main thing is we'll get through this. We just have to think positive," says resident Debbie Patton.
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