Residents’ passion for city blazed during primary

Congratulations are in order for Councilwoman-elect Sherri Jorgensen and Cokie Booth and Matt Fox, who will face off for the second City Council seat in June’s general election.

Results from the April 6 primary became official after being canvassed by City Council on Monday, April 19.

We wish all three of them the best as they continue their efforts on behalf of Boulder City.

And we’re hopeful, like Jorgensen, who said she wants to bring unity to the council, find some common ground and put the needs of the residents above all else. That’s how it should be.

To the other 10 candidates who entered the race for the two seats, we send thanks for your efforts and desire to help shape the future of the city. Putting yourself out there for public scrutiny is not easy, nor is making a commitment to dedicate so much of yourself and your time with very little reward.

We hope that not advancing to the general election will not dampen your spirits or zeal to serve your community.

For the most part, the candidates are to be commended for running campaigns that focused on the issues that residents are concerned about and their qualifications for the position.

The majority of the candidates regularly answered questions about the local growth control ordinance, the municipal pool, historic preservation, land leases and campaign contributions.

They shared their biographies with various sources and participated in video interviews, including ours, which we will do again for the general election. They joined a Zoom session with the Boulder City Chamber of Commerce and met with local resident Roger Gros for podcast interviews that were shared with Boulder City Social.

And, they joined the conversations on social media.

Many also took the opportunity to meet with voters face to face at special events and by manning tables in front of Boulder Dam Credit Union.

Unfortunately, the same commendations cannot be given to their supporters — or adversaries. There was a great deal of mudslinging and accusations hurled around, primarily on social media. It reminded me of being on a school playground when bullies would call those they did not like names or make up stories about them. Some of this continued once results of the primary became obvious.

We continue to be perplexed by Brent Foutz, who filed candidacy papers and then seemed to disappear off the face of the Earth.

And we were disappointed by those who chose to cater their campaigns to a target audience, ignoring the rest of the community. It speaks volumes about how they would not represent the best interests of all Boulder City residents if elected.

According to the Clark County Elections Department, a little more than 36 percent of the registered voters in Boulder City participated in the election. That’s more than the previous two primaries for City Council seats.

It shows that residents care and take the duty of electing their representatives seriously. They read the candidates’ responses and biographies, watched videos and podcasts, and, most importantly, went to the polls to cast their ballots.

The next few weeks will be equally important as Booth and Fox vie for the final seat. If there is anything you want to know about them, or if you have questions that you would like to see them answer, please send them to me at news@bouldercityreview.com. We will be sharing their responses in print — and on our website — in our May 20 issue.

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.