‘City Hall is yours:’ Las Vegas Mayor Berkley, Councilwoman Summers-Armstrong take office

Carolyn Goodman passed the torch — or in this case a gavel — to new Las Vegas Mayor Shelley Berkley on Wednesday, marking a new era at City Hall as Berkley and Councilwoman Shondra Summers-Armstrong took their oath of office.

Valley High School’s marching band filled the packed room with lively music, and confetti rained down as Goodman bid farewell at the start of the City Council meeting.

“This is a phenomenal woman, and this is so exciting,” Goodman said about the new mayor. “The microphone and City Hall is yours.”

“Shelley” chants broke out in the crowd.

‘I pledge to devote my life’

Berkley said she had intended to memorize her speech but had instead been busy learning the ins and outs of running her first meeting.

She thanked Carolyn Goodman and Oscar Goodman for leading the City Council for a quarter century before Berkley won November’s runoff election against now-fellow Councilwoman Victoria Seaman.

“Twenty five years of dedicated service from one family to any city is extraordinary,” said Berkley, a former U.S. congresswoman.

Berkley thanked a plethora of people, including the 14 other candidates who had vied for the mayor’s post.

“Thank you so much for running an issue-oriented, civil campaign,” she said.

Berkley shared her roots to the city, which began in the early 1960s when her parents packed a car in New York state to move cross country.

The young family had only intended to visit Las Vegas for a night, “and we never left.”

“I’m very aware of the responsibility that you have entrusted me with,” Berkley said, “and I pledge to devote my life to working on behalf of the city of Las Vegas and the people who have chosen to make this remarkable city their home.”

The mayor promised “unprecedented growth and prosperity,” adding: “We’re a world-class tourist destination. We should also be a world-class place to live and raise our families.”

Berkley, 73, said in an earlier interview that she was prepared to serve her first four-year term and revisit her energy and well-being before deciding to run for re-election — capping her service at eight years maximum before retiring from elected office.

Berkley and Summers-Armstrong inherit a city of nearly 650,000 residents and issues including the ongoing legal battle with the would-be developer of the defunct Badlands golf course, rising homelessness and a critical shortage of affordable housing.

They will work alongside Mayor Pro Tem Brian Knudsen, Seaman and Councilwomen Olivia Diaz, Nancy Brune and Francis Allen-Palenske.

‘Let’s get to work’

Summers-Armstrong, who previously served in the Nevada Assembly, won her race to replace Cedric Crear, who did not seek re-election in his unsuccessful run for mayor.

“It is really a privilege, and it’s an honor to serve Ward 5 and the city of Las Vegas,” the new councilwoman said.

Her ward includes the Historic Westside.

“This community is my community,” she said. “It has entrusted in me their hopes and their dreams for growth and jobs and redevelopment and advancement, and I will do my very best to work diligently with you to make these hopes and dreams come true.”

She touted her parents, whom she said taught her and her sisters “professional decorum” and ingrained in them faith and a passion for public service.

“Let’s get to work and do some really amazing things for Ward 5 and for the city of Las Vegas,” Summers-Armstrong concluded.

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