Eligibility of Henderson mayoral candidate challenged

By COLTON LOCHHEAD LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL

8 years ago

Henderson Councilwoman Debra March addresses the crowd at an event to break ground on Nevada’s first unmanned aerial systems urban test site on Wednesday, Jan. 4, 2016, at Nevada State College in Henderson. (Rachel Aston/Las Vegas Review-Journal) @rookie__rae

Henderson Mayor Andy Hafen introduces key note speaker Col. Paul J. Murray from Nellis Air Force Base at the Henderson Events Plaza amphitheater Saturday morning, Nov. 5, 2016. (Elizabeth Page Brumley/Las Vegas Review-Journal)

It only took a few hours for the first eligibility challenge to surface in Henderson’s race to replace Mayor Andy Hafen.

Henderson City Councilwoman Debra March was the first to file the paperwork for the Henderson mayoral race. Three other candidates, Crystal Hendrickson, Angelo Ray Gomez and Rick Workman, filed for the election later Tuesday.

Workman, a criminalistics administrator for the city of Henderson, also filed a challenge with the Nevada Secretary of State claiming March should be barred from running due to term-limits.

March was appointed to fill the remaining two years of Hafen’s City Council term in 2009 after he was elected mayor that year. March was elected to the seat in 2011 and 2015.

Councilmembers are term-limited after serving 12 years, and time served as both a city council member and mayor count equally towards that number.

Workman claims the two years March served after her appointment should count as four towards her eligibility to run.

A spokeswoman for March’s campaign said they would not comment on the challenge until Wednesday.

The secretary of state’s office received the complaint Tuesday and the office is reviewing it, spokesman Kent Alexander said.

This isn’t the first time Workman has cited the term-limit ruling in a complaint.

Workman cited that case when he sued in 2014 to have Hafen, who was on Henderson’s city council for 22 years, removed as mayor. The court unanimously dismissed Workman’s petition in November 2014, saying he had no standing to bring the petition.

Hendrickson ran against March in the 2015 election, where she garnered 41 percent of the vote. Gomez is a 19-year-old Henderson resident and worked as an intern for President Donald Trump’s campaign last year.

Other election filings:

City Council Ward 3

There were no filings in the Ward 3 election, according to the Henderson City Clerk’s office.

Municipal Court Judge, Department 3

There was one filing for this election: Rodney T. Burr, who was appointed to this seat by the city council last year after sitting judge Diane Hamptom died.

Contact Colton Lochhead at clochhead@reviewjournal.com. Follow @ColtonLochhead on Twitter.