Adams, Booth vie for council seat

Incumbent James Howard Adams will face challenger Cokie Booth as the two seek to be elected to City Council in the Nov. 8 municipal election.

Both said one of the biggest issues haunting not only Boulder City but the entire Las Vegas Valley is the drought and constant decrease of water in Lake Mead.

If re-elected, Adam said one of his goals is to tackle this issue. He also says that he has plans for more solar plants in the desert, which could help power Boulder City if the Hoover Dam is no longer able to.

Adams says there are two main things to consider when discussing the drought.

The first is to find a solution to the wastewater problem as Boulder City is the only Southern Nevada municipality that does not reuse its wastewater. The second thing is to understand the overall governmental process and how things take time.

“It’s easy from the outside to think that everything can just happen with the snap of a finger … that is not the way government works. It takes a long time. It took me almost three years to get a light down at the skate park, which was needed,” he said.

Booth said one of her biggest goals is to find a solution to the water recycling problem as well as whether the city is directly reusing the water or sending it back to Lake Mead.

She also brought up her plans to remove irrigated turf to cut back on water. Booth said people need to embrace living in the desert and cut back on grass.

“A lot of people think that desert landscape is just rocks, and I hope people don’t just dig up their grass and throw rocks in their yard. Because there are a lot of different things that you can do design-wise, and that’s where I think the city could help — giving people design ideas,” she said.

Adams’ entry into local politics came in 2017 when he helped ensure that the city’s growth control ordinance would not be changed.

“I was seeing a dramatic amount of change in Boulder City, and I became aware that if I actually wanted to see changes, I would have to be willing to be a part of it myself,” he said.

Adams also is a big advocate for historic preservation and mentioned that the demolition of the old Boulder City Hospital in 2015, which he grew up just a few blocks from, was devastating to him.

Booth, who is running for City Council for the second time, said pollution at Lake Mead in the mid-2000s got her involved in local government. She served on the city’s Planning Commission from 2006 to 2019.

She says she remembers walking her dog along the lake’s shoreline and seeing a bunch of dead ducks and questioning why the ravens did not pillage the carcasses. She soon discovered that water runoff from the sewage plant was producing a toxic chemical that was harmful to surface-drinking mammals.

“I just said. Oh my gosh, what is a child? A surface-drinking mammal,” said Booth.

Adams has lived in Boulder City since he was 10 years old. He studied at the College of Southern Nevada and graduated with a degree in deaf studies. He is 36 years old, married to Tsvetelina Stefanova and, in his spare time, is a musician.

He touts his experience as the City Council’s representative for the Southern Nevada Water Association and on the Southern Nevada Health District’s board as critical.

“My work there and the experience has been invaluable. It is so important for Boulder City to have representation on both of these boards,” he said.

Booth has what she can only describe as “an interesting life.” Originally from Antelope Valley, California, she has lived in Boulder City for more than 36 years, is 76 years old, is married to Les Booth, and is a real estate broker.

As a former employee of a landfill, Booth is for environmental protection and a big advocate for solar energy. She believes that the city should put in its own solar farms to not only provide clean energy but to give Boulder City a backup plan if the Hoover Dam’s power supply closes.

She has served on a variety of different organizations throughout her life, including the cosmetology board of Nevada, Greater Las Vegas Association of Realtors and Tuscany Retreat Homeowners Association. Additionally, she has volunteered at Boulder City Hospital, St. Rose Hospital, Boys and Girls Club and Central Christian Church. Currently, she is president of the Boulder City Community Club.

She said the biggest thing that she learned from these various roles is to just listen.

“I think sometimes it is more important to zip it, shut up and listen. Because when you listen, you get to understand. If elected, I will be working for anyone who lives in Boulder City, and I will be listening to what their needs are and what they want from me,” she said.