West Henderson Ward 2 could elect a new City Council member

Henderson City Councilman Dan Shaw in November is facing a challenge by one of his constituents, who says that he has been so unresponsive to her neighborhood’s concerns that it inspired her first run for office.

Shaw and Monica Larson advanced to a runoff for the Ward 2 seat after the June primary, which saw two other council members win re-election outright by getting more than 50 percent of the vote.

Shaw — whose ward encompasses a large portion of growing west Henderson — outpolled Larson by 1,152 votes in the three-way primary, or 41.65 percent to 33.56 percent.

Larson noted that almost 60 percent of voters preferred a change, which she vows to bring.

“I’m running to make a difference,” she told the Las Vegas Review-Journal. “Truly make a difference.”

Incumbent

Shaw’s involvement in local government dates back to 1987.

He served and chaired Henderson’s parks and recreation board and its planning commission, and he led Clark County’s Planning Commission before he was appointed to the City Council in 2017.

Shaw told the Review-Journal that he’s running for re-election as a continuation of the “good progress” the city’s made in the past few years.

His top priorities, he said, are affordable housing, public safety and education.

Shaw spearheaded an affordable housing committee about a year ago, which is working to complete a report in the coming months on how to better address the issue and implement suggestions.

He described the city’s camping ban, recently passed to address the homeless population in public spaces, is working. He credited “strike teams” that go out on the streets to offer social services to those persons.

Efforts include 30-day hotel room vouchers as rapid rehousing that gives social workers time to formulate plans for more permanent solutions.

He said he’s pushed big developers to provide affordable housing units in their projects.

“There’s a number of things we’re doing to assist and to further the affordability of housing for our Henderson residents,” Shaw said.

The overall plan requires a regional response, and he said the city would continue to fight for state dollars.

“It’s a Southern Nevada issue, it’s not a county issue, or a Las Vegas city issue,” he said.

He touted the city’s police and fire departments that have helped Henderson being rated as one of the safest cities in the country.

The city has “beefed up” recruitment, hiring 70 new police officers in under three years, Shaw said.

He said he wants the city to attract more manufacturing industries, such as Haas Automation, which recently announced a Henderson facility that will translate to 1,400 jobs and a $400 million investment within the next couple of years, according to the city.

“They need to be quality companies,” he said, “who not only provide great jobs but also are great community partners.”

Shaw also wants to see more health care industries move to Henderson.

The councilman’s financial companies have been sued out of state on allegations of predatory lending. Shaw did not address the lawsuits in an interview with the Review-Journal.

Mayor Michelle Romero and two other council members endorsed Shaw’s re-election campaign.

‘I plan on winning’

Larson was born and raised in Chicago by a single mother who put herself through graduate school.

Larson holds various degrees, including a master’s in forensic psychology, and a doctorate in clinical psychology.

Before her Nevada move, she treated victims of crime and sex offenders in California.

Larson said that she helped start a neighborhood watch group after an uptick of crime in the area. Calls to Shaw went unreturned, she said, adding that it inspired to run to challenge him.

She said she wants the city to better allocate dollars to fund public safety and for the workers to earn more.

“They should not have to be begging for funds, that should be a priority,” she said.

She said too many apartment complexes are going up in Henderson, and that it’s not the proper approach to address affordable housing.

Larson would advocate for more single-family homes, and other concepts, such as tiny home communities.

Her approach to homelessness would be more compassionate, she said.

“It’s not a crime to be poor, and that’s how they’re treating them,” Larson said. “They’re human beings.”

She said she would push for more social services and sheltering in Henderson.

“You can’t just move them to a different location,” she said.

Larson, too, said she would like to see more manufacturing, but she said she also wants the city to attract other industries, such as technology, entertainment and businesses that provide more career-oriented opportunities.

Particularly in her ward, which is still being developed, she wants to see more grocery stores and eateries, she said.

Larson said she’s a strong proponent of a transparent government.

“I plan on winning,” she said. “I’m excited to bring a change that’s needed for Henderson.”

Contact Ricardo Torres-Cortez at rtorres@reviewjournal.com.