3 challengers look to unseat Anthony from Las Vegas City Council
Councilman Stavros Anthony will need to ward off three challengers to win his third and final term on the Las Vegas City Council.
Sean Lyttle, Deborah Harris and Jon Edge are aiming to unseat Anthony on April 4.
It was unclear when the Ward 4 councilman, who challenged Mayor Carolyn Goodman in 2015, filed for candidacy if he would face a challenge. He drew three opponents late in the filing period, including two first-time candidates in Harris and Edge.
ANTHONY
Anthony was first elected to the council in 2009, and fiscal responsibility and downtown redevelopment top his priorities for a third term.
“Symphony Park has to be developed. That’s kind of Ground Zero,” Anthony said. “If Symphony Park gets developed, I think a lot of offshoots will come from that.”
Another downtown need is a transportation system that can move people short distances, like the circulator shuttles city officials have been mulling for several months, Anthony said.
Anthony, a retired Metropolitan Police Department captain, sees hiring more police officers as a priority.
And if the Oakland Raiders move to Las Vegas, Anthony would like to see Cashman Field, current home of the Las Vegas 51s, become the NFL team’s practice headquarters, he said.
“I think that would be a huge boost for downtown Las Vegas to actually have that happen,” Anthony said.
LYTTLE
If elected, Lyttle will look at expanding and coordinating homeless and mental health services with an aim to keep people from “staying on the streets for a long period of time,” he said.
Workforce development and job creation are other issues Lyttle would try to tackle on the council.
Lyttle, who owns a family law practice, lost a bid for a Nevada Assembly seat last year. While some of the concerns he heard while campaigning are within the Nevada Legislature’s purview, some can be addressed at City Hall, Lyttle said.
The loss “didn’t change the fact that those concerns were the same the day after as the day before” the election, Lyttle said.
Working across local jurisdictions to better coordinate services for Southern Nevada is something there should be more of, Lyttle said.
“We have to start thinking in terms of valley-wide solutions,” Lyttle said. “I’ve heard people say things like ‘that’s a county problem.’ Or ‘that’s a city issue and I’m county.’ I think that’s a terrible mindset. I intend to bring a very different mindset to City Hall.”
HARRIS
Harris coordinated the local Women’s March on Washington that drew thousands of people to downtown Las Vegas, a protest of President Donald Trump’s policies the day after he took office. Through that and other past community involvement, Harris said she came across a number of people who want to get more involved.
“People were really unaware of how to engage with local government,” she said.
Harris recently took a position at the College of Southern Nevada in a counseling and psychological services program, and she had her first book published last year.
If she earns a seat on the City Council dais, Harris will focus on bettering the relationship between local law enforcement and the community, job creation and helping to supplement existing education gaps with vocational and apprenticeship programs, she said.
“I don’t believe we’re on the curve with new industries that are popping up and preparing our people,” Harris said.
EDGE
Jon Edge was a big supporter of Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders’ run for president, and the idea that everyone should take responsibility for civic engagement “really hit home with me,” Edge said.
“There’s no reason career politicians should be the only ones that get to hold office,” he said.
Edge, who works in retail management, has an associate’s degree and is working toward a bachelor’s degree through Arizona State University’s online program.
Fostering the development of businesses that are the right fit, planning for sustainable growth and encouraging community engagement are among Edge’s priorities, if elected.
“There’s not a lot of outreach or services that get people involved or together, Edge said, adding that he’d like to see “more people meeting face to face and talking, and getting more involved.”
Contact Jamie Munks at jmunks@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0340. Find @JamieMunksRJ on Twitter.
Ward 4 City Council candidates:
Stavros Anthony (incumbent)
Jon Edge
Deborah Harris
Sean Lyttle
