2 candidates seeking to replace McCurdy in Assembly District 6

Two women are in the race to fill the Assembly District 6 vacancy that will be left by Assemblyman William McCurdy II.

McCurdy, the state Democratic Party chairman, is seeking a seat on the Clark County Commission.

Democrat Shondra Summers-Armstrong said she is running because her community needs a “strong and engaged leader.” Republican Katie Duncan is running because she thinks the district is ready for a change.

Summers-Armstrong, a longtime employee of the Regional Transportation Commission, offered no details about what she wants to accomplish if elected to the Assembly. She also offered no timeline as to when she may have details on policy proposals.

Instead, she said she is listening to her community, which she said cares about education, jobs and health care. She offered no policy suggestions surrounding any of those topics.

“The one thing I do have is a listening ear to the community, which is what they need right now,” she said.

Summers-Armstrong, an executive board member for the Service Employees International Union Local 1107, also offered no suggestions for handling the fiscal effects of the coronavirus, should Nevada continue to grapple with budget woes.

She has the financial backing of Democratic lawmakers and unions, as well as the political endorsement of the Democratic Assembly Caucus.

Duncan has five legislative priorities, the most important to her being securing redevelopment money for her district, specifically the Historic Westside.

She wants the money would be used in part to create a light rail transit system that would connect the entire Las Vegas Valley to high-speed rail that she said is destined to come to Southern Nevada.

“I don’t know how much it’s going to cost,” she said. “But whatever it is, it’s time to get it done.”

Duncan said she wants the state to step up and rebuild the Moulin Rouge as an information center and rest stop museum.

In addition to improving transportation in the area, she wants to set up a state commission to study and create recommendations for getting internet into inner-city homes.

Duncan also supports changing state law to allow the coverage of Eastern medicine by insurance providers.

She said the state can save money in the coronavirus era by addressing systemic issues with criminal justice.

Contact Blake Apgar at bapgar@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-5298. Follow @blakeapgar on Twitter.