Race for city seats heats up

As of Wednesday morning, three people have filed candidacy papers to run for mayor and six have filed to run for one of two seats on the City Council in the 2019 municipal election.

The filing period began Tuesday, Jan. 22, and continues through Thursday, Jan. 31.

Because the number of candidates filing for both positions has exceeded double the number of open seats there will be a primary election April 2, with early voting March 16-29.

Councilman Warren Harhay is running for mayor and was the first candidate to file for the municipal election.

“I made an appointment with the city clerk to get the 7 a.m. time slot,” he said of his candidacy for mayor.

One of his primary goals as mayor is to restore people’s trust in their elected officials. He said people’s suspicions of city leaders’ activities are justified to a point and he wants to work as a team rather than a fractured unit.

Harhay said he doesn’t consider his bid to become mayor as a race against any other candidate.

“I am running for the people of Boulder City and my vision for Boulder City,” he said. “If I didn’t feel I could be the best in the job, I wouldn’t have asked my wife for the $25 filing fee — which is the extent of my fundraising.”

Before deciding to seek the office, Harhay said he reviewed his campaign for City Council to see what he said he would do and what he has accomplished. What he is most proud of it his commitment to listen to the citizens, he said citing his regular coffee with a councilman sessions and the launch of town halls.

Councilman Kiernan McManus also filed to run for mayor.

“I think it’s the same reason I ran for City Council,” he said of why he’s running. “I’m concerned about the direction planned for Boulder City to have rapid growth.”

McManus said he does not think that is what the citizens want. He also said the focus on business commerce in town needs to change because of Interstate 11 opening. Additionally, he said there are issues with the city’s infrastructure and he has a real concern about the rising rates.

“It is a lot of work,” he said about the campaign. “I look at this as being work, but it’s work I’m really enjoying. I was born and raised in Boulder City, and I love this town.”

If either Harhay or McManus win the mayor’s seat, their position on City Council will be filled by council appointment or they could call for a special election, said Lisa LaPlante, communications manager. “It is their discretion on how to proceed.”

Current Mayor Rod Woodbury previously announced he was running for re-election and has also filed papers to run.

Councilman Rich Shuman’s and Councilwoman Peggy Leavitt’s terms expire this year.

Shuman has filed to run for re-election and Leavitt has announced her intention to run.

“Serving on council has been the greatest honor of my professional life,” Shuman said. “We have a lot of work to do with respect to promoting, protecting and preserving our rich history. Now that I have four years experience I feel I am uniquely qualified to serve the people of our beloved city.”

Shuman said he plans to focus his campaign on all the positive things accomplished by the city and how to protect its quality of life for future generations.

Challengers to the incumbents are James Howard Adams, Claudia Bridges, Judy Dechaine, Trenton Motley and Tom Tyler.

Dechaine said she is running to make a difference.

“I’m here all the time,” she said. “I follow events closely.”

She also said she would like to see more citizen input and more work done with historic preservation.

Additionally, Dechaine said she wants to look at all the city’s lease revenue and see how much the city is actually spending to have them.

“I am running because I am not happy with the way the city is run right now,” said Motley, 21.

Motley said he doesn’t like the growth and the way the city spends money. He said it’s too much in some places and not enough in others.

Motley has lived in Boulder City his whole life and works as a process server with the Boulder City Constable Office as well as studying mechanical engineering at University of Nevada, Las Vegas and being a welder.

Tyler, who has been a resident of the community since 1991 and now serves as president of Emergency Aid of Boulder City, said he wants to serve on the City Council because he is “alarmed” about actions taken by the current council.

“I think they have overexpanded things. Maybe we need to work on our infrastructure before we build more,” he said.

Contact reporter Celia Shortt Goodyear at cgoodyear@bouldercityreview.com or at 702-586-9401. Follow her on Twitter @csgoodyear. Hali Bernstein Saylor is editor of the Boulder City Review. She can be reached at hsaylor@bouldercityreview.com or at 702-586-9523. Follow @HalisComment on Twitter.