LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — The top two candidates for North Las Vegas mayor faced off in a debate on Wednesday, agreeing on many issues but listing different priorities for the coming year.
Mayoral candidates kick off debate
North Las Vegas Councilman Scott Black and Assemblywoman Daniele Monroe-Moreno took turns answering questions from former Las Vegas City Manager Betsy Fretwell at The Cannery hotel-casino.
Black and Monroe-Moreno are part of a field of five candidates seeking to replace term-limited Mayor Pamela Goynes-Brown. If no candidate gets more than 50% in the June 9 primary, the two top vote-getters will advance to the general election on Nov. 3.
Black touted his experience on the council, where he was first elected in 2017, and re-elected in 2022. (Because of a change in state law, municipal officials who were formerly elected in odd-numbered years were switched to an even-year, with an additional year added to their terms.)
Monroe-Moreno, meanwhile, said she had extensive experience at the state level, where she currently chairs the Ways & Means Committee that oversees the budget. In addition, she reminded the audience that she worked in law enforcement as a corrections officer in North Las Vegas.
But, Monroe-Moreno said, she had one advantage: If she's elected, she can serve a full 12 years, or three terms, on the council, whereas Black will be constrained by term limits to just one term.
"He's [Black] done a great job on the City Council, however, being the next mayor [he'd] be a one-term mayor," Monroe-Moreno said. "That's not what I need as a resident of the city and it's what I hear at the doors. We need a mayor who can be there for the long term as we build out this momentum of growth in the city, we need a mayor that can be there for the next decade."
But Black said if he's elected, he'd build on a record he's already amassed.
"I've been here for nine years. I've been the mayor pro tem since 2022," he said. "When you broaden it, I've helped get us to this point, and I can do a lot of amazing work with the momentum that we have for the next four years until 2030. That's plenty of time to complete the things that have been started, and complete new things that will keep North Las Vegas going in the right direction."
Goynes-Brown has backed her fellow council member Black to succeed her.
During the debate, the candidates discussed progress the city had made, including a new Nevada State University campus in the city, a new freestanding hospital to serve residents, ongoing development at the Apex industrial park and job-creation programs.
What are the candidates prioritizing?
Although the candidates dodged some of Fretwell's questions — neither would say what specific city services they might cut in order to keep police and firefighters on the job — they did differ on their top priority if elected.
For Black, it was continuing the development of downtown and of Apex, long considered a strategic asset for Southern Nevada's economic development plans.
"It's to see the downtown revitalization really take shape and we will over the next one to three years, during my term," Black said. "And Apex industrial area, to see the completion of the Garnet Valley water line and sewer system, the road network that we just finished the traffic study on, so Apex, downtown are two bookends to our success story that I will be a part of until 2030."
But for Monroe-Moreno, the top priority is housing, especially for people just starting out.
"But we need affordable housing for those first-time homeowners, those young people just getting out of college or leaving mom and dad's house that they can step into and then move up," she said. "It's working with developers to build that out."
What residents really want to see
While the candidates shared their priorities, Channel 13's North Las Vegas reporter, Jhovani Carrillo, caught up with North Las Vegas residents to hear what issues actually matter most to them.
The primary concerns they shared with us?
Traffic, park maintenance, and homelessness.
Josue Acosta, a local born and raised in North Las Vegas, says he's seen the city transform into what it is today — but he has some concerns.
"The community has improved, but there are some areas where we could see some improvement," Acosta said.
As as father raising his children in the area, he told Channel 13 that he hopes the next mayor will work to address the unhoused population.
"There's a lot of homeless [people] in the parks, you know, there's a lot of homeless [people] in the streets, so probably just cleaning up the street a little bit, seeing if we can help them, send them to rehab or just making it a little more friendly out there," he said.
Another local, Monica Castellano tells us she feels that maintenece has fallen behind with the city parks, and she wants to see more effort poured into that area.
"I visit the parks with my dogs, and the areas are dirty, very dirty, so that's a problem," Castellano said.
However, locals also told us that they would like the next mayor to bring new opportunities to the city — such as family-friendly events to make residents closer.
"Having some types of programs or events, places where families and friends can come together — communities, neighbors can talk. I feel like we are missing that bond with each other," Acosta said.
Do you have a concern in North Las Vegas you'd like us to look into? Contact Jhovani Carrillo at jhovani.carrillo@ktnv.com, or by clicking the banner below.
