Marz retains seat on Henderson City Council
Henderson City Council incumbent John Marz celebrated his likely win for the Ward 3 seat with an intimate group of friends and family at his home Tuesday night in the city’s Green Valley section.
With all of Henderson’s nine vote centers reported by approximately 9:30 p.m., combined with the early vote, Marz led with 51.6 percent, while his opponent, Carrie Cox received 48.4 percent — a difference of 440 votes, according to unofficial figures from the Clark County Elections Department.
Marz, 70, is seeking a second full term on council. He was met with loud cheers and applause from supporters, including Mayor Andy Hafen, Mayor-elect Debra March and City Council members Gerri Schroder and Dan Stewart.
“We’re thrilled to know he’s coming back,” March said. “He’s familiar with the economic downturn that the city faced, and he’s just the right person to help us tackle the city’s continuous growth.”
Marz said his priorities for the city include neighborhood revitalization, enhanced public safety and bringing well-paying jobs so that residents can “live and work in Henderson.”
Marz was appointed to the City Council in 2012 under the promise that he would not run for re-election. He ran for a full term in 2013 and has since said he wants to continue to be the city’s small-business voice.
Throughout the campaign, Cox remained critical of Marz’s broken promise, previously saying, “I’m not going to flip-flop when I make decisions.”
“Everyone told me that negative stuff works, but from the beginning, we ran a positive campaign,” Marz said during his victory speech.
Marz defeated Cox with a huge financial lead in campaign contributions. By the end of last week, Marz had $237,155 and had spent $468,962 this year, campaign expense reports show.
By contrast, Cox raised $31,724 and has spent $24,506.
If his lead holds when figures are official, Marz would be sworn in at the June 20 City Council meeting along with Mayor-elect Debra March and Judge Rodney T. Burr — the only one to file for the municipal court judge, Department 3 race.
A Ward 2 appointee is also expected to be announced and sworn in Tuesday.
Council members serve a four-year term with an annual salary of $49,673.
Contact Sandy Lopez at slopez@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-4686. Follow @JournalismSandy on Twitter.