Assemblywoman, attorney, campaigning to fill open County Commission seat

A veteran Nevada lawmaker and an attorney who previously ran for Congress are campaigning to fill a soon to be open seat at the Clark County Commission.

District C, which includes the west and far northwest valley, is represented by Commissioner Ross Miller, who is not seeking re-election.

The candidates are: four-term Democratic Assemblywoman Shannon Bilbray-Axelrod and attorney April Becker, a Republican who previously came up short in races for the Nevada State Senate and the U.S. Congress.

Bilbray-Axelrod and Becker were dominant in the June primary in which both received about 70 percent of the vote.

“I just felt like I can make the biggest impact for Southern Nevada by staying in Southern Nevada and working for the County Commission,” Bilbray Axelrod told the Las Vegas Review-Journal.

Nevada lawmaker

Bilbray-Axelrod’s committee Legislature assignments included government affairs, the judiciary, transportation and growth and infrastructure. She chaired the education committee, and is most proud of fighting sex trafficking and closing a loophole that made marrying minors legal, she said.

Bilbray-Axelrod, a third-generation local, said she wants to improve public safety efficiently. She said she wants to make housing affordable by curbing outside hedge funds buying off entire neighborhoods.

“We need to really think outside of the box,” she said about doing more than depend on acquiring federal land to build.

This would include building vertically and revitalizing existing neighborhoods with mixed-use living, while addressing water shortage concerns, she said.

To fight increasing homelessness, Bilbray-Axelrod said she’s hopeful the $100 million approved in the 2023 Legislature, with a matched pledge by Strip resorts, can help provide more services.

New industries should benefit Clark County residents, she said.

“We are constantly reinventing ourselves,” she said about the professional sports economy.

Bilbray-Axelrod said she wants to see more scientific research.

While she’s concerned about traffic injuries, she said speeding and red light cameras can be problematic if they don’t address concerns, such as motorists’ due process rights.

Bilbray-Axelrod would first support a pilot program before considering wider implementation. She also said she didn’t want municipalities to be dependent on fines revenue for a problem they’re trying to resolve.

She said she would work well with fellow commissioners, and would advocate government transparency.

“We can do it all,” she said about smart development, attracting new business and making sure residents “feel safe” in their affordable homes.

Experienced attorney

Becker last ran against Rep. Susie Lee, D-Nevada, falling short by about 10,000 votes in the 2022 election. She did not return multiple messages seeking an interview, but filled out a Review-Journal voter guide questionnaire.

A Texas native, Becker has lived in the valley for more than three decades. She earned her law degree from UNLV.

Clark County hasn’t elected a Republican to the commission since 2008, and Becker cited “transparency and lack of diversity of opinion” as a top issue.

“Democrats have used their monopoly on power to make backroom and shady deals that are now costing the county tens of millions of dollars,” Becker wrote. “Once elected, I plan to be a voice for not just my constituents but residents across Clark County that have lacked representation for decades.”

While Becker would address ways to decrease injury crashes, she wrote proposed red light cameras should be the “last option.”

She added: “Mainly they serve as a revenue generator, as the public research and data is mixed as to whether or not they make streets safer. I hope we exhaust all possible solutions before turning to this punitive measure.”

To address a shortage of housing units, the federal government should “absolutely” free up additional land, she wrote.

“Housing accessibility is the most pressing issue facing Clark County today and the best solution is increasing the supply of housing,” she wrote.

Tackling homelessness, Becker wrote, should not only by Clark County’s responsibility.

“When it comes to public spaces, we need to have a sustainable solution that transitions a person living on the streets to more stable housing,” Becker wrote.

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