HENDERSON (KTNV) — Henderson Mayor Michelle Romero has been at the helm of the City of Henderson for more than two years now.
She tells me she's been busy focusing on issues from development and traffic to public safety and the controversy that erupted over the firing of the city's former police chief, Hollie Chadwick.
Channel 13 viewers shared their concerns with me ahead of my sit-down with Mayor Romero, and I took your questions directly to her.
WATCH: Channel 13 sits down with Henderson Mayor Michelle Romero to answer your questions
"I have lived here my entire life except for six years that my husband was in the military and we were kind of all over the place, then came back here," Romero told me.
Romero then spent 26 years serving in several roles for the City of Henderson, including as Henderson Redevelopment Agency manager for almost a decade. She led a team that changed the face of downtown's Water Street District.
The mayor tells me even though Henderson is the second-largest city in Nevada, it's growing — but at a measured pace.
"We still maintain those small-town values; it's very much by design," Romero said. "We work very hard to make sure that we are considering our lifestyle and our quality of life, and our amenities."
Romero agreed to meet with me to answer some of your questions about key issues facing the city. Many of you reached out to me to ask about the firing of former Henderson police Chief Hollie Chadwick. It's an issue Romero will face again after Chadwick announced on Thursday that she's running against Romero for mayor. But for now, I got this answer about what happened.
Question 1: What happened with the former Henderson police chief?
"The council and the mayor are restricted by law in how much we can be involved in personnel matters," Chadwick told me.
While the Henderson city manager has launched a nationwide search for a new police chief, Romero acknowledges there's been consistent turnover in the role of the department's top cop.
"We want to learn from past experiences and make sure we are looking for the right candidate for our community," she said. "I think our community is very unique — I think the whole Southern Nevada community is very unique. We want to make sure we are working well with our sister cities, with Metro and North Las Vegas."
Question 2: Henderson crime statistics
Year after year, Henderson is touted as one of the safest cities in America because of its low crime rate. But I recently took a call from a viewer questioning the accuracy of the city's crime statistics.
"If you compare year over year, all those months are consistently down from the previous year," Romero said. "Henderson is one of the safest cities. We have been awarded and recognized for it many times, and it's because we have a phenomenal police department; we have a phenomenal fire department; we have great 911 operators that work very hard that our residents know are there to help."
Question 3: Population growth and traffic woes
Channel 13 viewers also asked about population growth, some expressing their frustration with traffic on Boulder Highway, Lake Mead Parkway and St. Rose Parkway.
"We don't have control, but we work with [the Nevada Department of Transportation] on how the roads are handled," Romero said.
She tells me studies are underway to figure out how best to divert traffic off Henderson's main roads. As for the city projects she's most excited about, first up for the mayor is the now completed West Henderson Hospital, followed by the West Henderson Fieldhouse for youth sports (which just broke ground) and the Haas Automation facility that's now under construction.
"At completion, it will be a 2.4 million-square-foot facility. It will employ up to 2,000 employees at high-paying jobs," Romero said.
And if you haven't been to Water Street lately, in downtown Henderson, a new hotel and business are springing up.
Question 4: Education
But education, Romero tells me, is probably her biggest point of pride as mayor. She says Henderson is home to several national blue ribbon schools, and that's a big draw for families. She says those families can expect to see new preschools and charter schools coming soon.
"We will be able to have charter schools under our authority, so we will be able to guide outcomes," she said.
For Romero, it's an exciting time to lead Nevada's second-largest city, and she wants a repeat — no matter the opponent.
"I love this city. It afforded me a wonderful childhood; it afforded my children a great place to grow up and be successful, and now my grandchildren are growing up here, and I want them and families like mine to have everything they want in a city," Romero said. "They should be able to live, work and play here and not have to leave if they don't want to."