NORTH LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — Daniele Monroe-Moreno is running late, with a day full of campaign stops documented by a film crew.
When she arrives at TSP Baking Co. on Decatur Boulevard near the 215 Beltway, she politely asks an interviewer to wait while she greets the owner, Kari Garcia, who's been up since 2:30 a.m. preparing confections that tempt even the most sugar-averse visitor.
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The tour has many stops like this, reporters witnessing greetings of local business owners, patrons and voters. It's the start of a campaign that could last more than a year, a tougher race than Monroe-Moreno has had in her 10 years representing the city in the Nevada Assembly.
Most recently, she's served as chair of the chamber's most powerful committee, Ways & Means. And she's kicking off her tour the day after Speaker Steve Yeager and Majority Leader Sandra Jauregui, both D-Clark County, announced they're not seeking re-election.
Why give up a shot at serving as speaker herself during her one remaining session before term limits kick in? Monroe-Moreno doesn't hesitate in her answer.
"This is home for me. You know, we've lived here for almost 30 years," she said. "I worked for the city for 20 years before running for office and I always thought that I would serve on City Council. ... I believe I have a unique skill set that will address the unique challenges that North Las Vegas will be facing. And it's time to come home and bring everything that I've learned at the Legislature back to my city."
Some of those lessons have been difficult, including brutal budget-cutting sessions after the COVID-19 pandemic, and two sessions under Republican Gov. Joe Lombardo, who defeated Democrat Steve Sisolak in 2022. But there were some successes, too, including passing a budget without any layoffs or furloughs for long-suffering state employees in the most recent session.
"You have to put your employees, your businesses like TSP here and your constituents first," Monroe-Moreno says. "And have a plan and working with the other City Council members to create what that plan is. So we hopefully won't have to make any cuts, but if there are cuts, responsible cuts."
Speaking of the council, Monroe-Moreno is expected to face a strong challenge from Ward 3 Councilman Scott Black, an ally of former Mayor John Lee, who took over the city in a time of financial crisis and is credited with putting it back on track. Black is serving his second term on the council, and if elected, would be limited to a single term.
Although city council races are officially nonpartisan, Monroe-Moreno is not only a Democrat by registration, she's chairwoman of the Nevada State Democratic Party, a post she will continue to hold throughout the campaign.
Asked why she'd be a better choice than a two-term incumbent who's been overseeing the city's operations for years, Monroe-Moreno points to her own city service as a corrections officer, and her service in Carson City looking out for some of the same constituents Black represents (her district and his ward overlap).
"I never left the city," she insists. "I've stayed in contact with our parks and recreation department, our police department, our fire department our Teamsters [union]. So I know the unique issues that our citizens and our employees are dealing with because I stayed engaged in my community. But I think what makes us different is that I have served during economic surpluses and economic deficits and had to deal with a budget and I can bring that knowledge back to the city. I have the skills to do this job, but more than that, I have the passion and the love for this community to do this job."
Black, for his part, has had to approve annual budgets for the city as well, although the state's finances are far more complicated.
From her perspective, Monroe-Moreno says the economy is the top issue in the race, including the affordability of everyday goods and the cost of housing. She said she wants to address affordability, especially for seniors and veterans.
A former landlord, Monroe-Moreno says she opposes rent control. (The Culinary Union Local 226 targeted North Las Vegas for a rent control initiative in 2022 but the city rejected the measure, claiming the union had not gathered enough valid signatures.)
But she says she does favor what she called "rent stabilization,"
And she says the Apex industrial park in the city is an asset, the development of which will have a huge impact, not just on North Las Vegas, but on the entire Southern Nevada economy.
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But she also wants people to visit her city with the same enthusiasm they feel when they come to Las Vegas.
"I want North Las Vegas to be that destination place when you come to Las Vegas — and hopefully people start coming back to Las Vegas — that part of their plans while they're enjoying our beautiful state is also coming to North Las Vegas."
Filing for offices opens on March 2, and the primary election is June 9. If no candidate gets 50 percent of the vote, the top two vote-getters advance to the general election on Nov. 3.
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