Special election scheduled to replace Barlow on Las Vegas council
Voters in Las Vegas’ Ward 5 will choose a new council member to represent them on March 27.
Amid urging from the community, the Las Vegas City Council unanimously voted to hold a special election to replace Ricki Barlow, who stepped down in January.
The new candidate will be seated at the April 18 City Council meeting, and serve until July 2019 — the remainder of Barlow’s term.
Mayor Carolyn Goodman called it a “sad time” for the council since Barlow announced in January he would resign and plead guilty to a federal felony charge for fraudulently converting campaign dollars to funds for personal use.
Goodman was heartened, though, by the outpouring of interest from people interested in serving out the remainder of Barlow’s term.
John Edmond and Todd Moody both volunteered to serve a “caretaker” candidate — pledging not to run for the office during the 2019 election.
“That’s a long time,” Councilwoman Lois Tarkanian said of the two months before an interim council member is elected. “There are some important votes coming up.”
Las Vegas Planning Commissioner and Nevada System of Higher Education Regent Cedric Crear and former Nevada assemblyman Harvey Munford have declared their candidacy for the seat in 2019. Both Crear and Munford attended Wednesday’s council meeting.
Some community members urged the council to appoint a specific person, but most who spoke out Wednesday favored a special election.
Candidates must file with the Las Vegas City Clerk’s Office Feb. 13 or Feb. 14 to be placed on the ballot. Early voting is scheduled for March 22-23, and Ward 5 residents will cast ballots at voting centers on March 27, City Clerk LuAnn Holmes said.
The council approved up to $80,000 in general fund dollars for the special election, but Holmes estimates the cost will come in well below that figure.
Barlow’s staff remains in place, and as soon as he resigned, city officials launched an “oversight mechanism” so Ward 5 needs are served “continuously,” until a new representative is chosen, City Manager Scott Adams said.
Goodman has also offered her office’s services to help address Ward 5 issues.
Contact Jamie Munks at jmunks@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0340. Follow @Journo_Jamie_ on Twitter.
