Marz faces runoff against Cox in Henderson Ward 3 race

John Marz emerged as the top vote-getter in Tuesday’s primary election for the Ward 3 seat on the Henderson City Council, but will be forced to defend his seat in a June runoff with businesswoman Carrie Cox.

Marz, 70, who has run successfully twice before for the position, captured 43.17 percent of the vote with 100 percent of the ballots counted. Cox, 51, narrowly defeated Matthew DeFalco for the right to contest the race on June 13, with 28.66 percent to 28.16 percent.

Marz has said his priorities include improving neighborhood safety, revitalizing the economy and expanding police, firefighting and paramedic forces.

“This is a critical election for our city,” Cox said on Tuesday before polls closed at 7 p.m., citing traffic density issues, public safety and school growth as areas of concern.

She also echoed Marz’s desire to expand police, paramedic and firefighting jobs. “We need more police on the ground,” she said.

DeFalco, 29, an Army veteran campaigned on a promise to make city government more accessible through increased transparency of council business.

“We need young people; we need people who are in it for the right reasons,” DeFalco said on Tuesday afternoon. “We need veterans, and we need working people to run for these positions and have a voice and be involved.”

DeFalco has also said he wants veterans to receive preferred status for city government jobs.

Contact Brooke Wanser at bwanser@reviewjournal.com. Follow @Bwanser_LVRJ on Twitter.