4 newcomers leading Board of Regents races in Clark County

Preliminary election results Wednesday for the state’s higher education board showed challenger Stephanie Goodman with a wide lead over incumbent John Moran.

Four seats representing Clark County on the Nevada System of Higher Education’s 13-member Board of Regents were up for grabs in the general election. Newcomers Heather Brown, Susan Brager, Michelee “Shelly” Crawford and Goodman were in the lead.

Regents, who serve six-year terms, oversee eight schools and about 100,000 students.

Only one Clark County seat up for election has an incumbent — Moran in District 13, who was trailing about 21 percentage points behind Goodman as of Wednesday. But thousands of mail-in ballots still need to be counted.

The election comes at a crucial time for the higher education system following Chancellor Melody Rose’s hostile work environment complaint last year and resignation in April, when she accepted $610,000 in severance pay.

Former state Superintendent of Public Instruction Dale Erquiaga was hired as acting chancellor under an 18-month contract, which began July 1 and continues through the end of 2023.

New regents will join the board as the system is preparing to undergo a search for a new permanent chancellor — a position that has seen frequent turnover in recent years.

In District 13 — which covers a western portion of the county — preliminary results showed Goodman leading with 60.6 percent of the vote. She owns an advertising agency and is executive director of the Dr. Robert Hunter International Problem Gambling Center.

Moran, an attorney who was elected to the board in 2016, was at 39.4 percent of the vote. He did not respond to a request for comment by late Wednesday afternoon.

Goodman said via email Wednesday that running for regent was an “incredible journey” and she loved meeting people in her district.

“I feel confident about the results thus far but it’s not over until all the votes are in,” she wrote. “I’m grateful for the support I received from so many voters!”

In District 6, preliminary results showed Brown, president and co-founder of the nonprofit StartUp Vegas, leading with 63 percent of the vote, followed by higher education consultant Jeanine Dakduk at 37 percent.

Brown said Wednesday via email: “I want to first thank all the voters who exercised their civic duty and voted. I’m honored to receive over 39,000 votes so far and will get the opportunity to represent District 6 for the next six years as their Regent. I look forward to working with the board once sworn in, there’s a lot of work to be done, but I’m ready to embark on this journey!”

Dakduk did not respond to a request for comment by late Wednesday afternoon.

The seat — which covers mostly a southern portion of the county — is occupied by regent Patrick Carter, who was elected in 2016 but did not seek re-election.

In District 7, preliminary results showed Brager, a Realtor who was formerly a Clark County commissioner and School Board trustee, leading with 58.3 percent of the vote. Real estate broker David “Coach” Crete, a U.S. Air Force veteran and former volunteer football coach, followed at 41.7 percent.

Brager said Wednesday that she was grateful for the voters and if final results confirm her victory, she would be excited to serve the community again.

Crete said Wednesday via email that he was “very disappointed in how things turned out” in the “tough race,” but he learned a lot and met great people. He also wished Brager the best.

“My opponent has been on ballots since the early 1990’s and entered this race with quite a bit of money in her campaign account,” he wrote. “She clearly ran on her name ID and it proved to be a great advantage. There are still votes to be counted but I do not believe that there are enough to change the course of this ship.”

Dr. Mark Doubrava, who was elected in 2010, currently holds the seat but could not seek re-election because of term limits. The district includes the northwest area of the Las Vegas Valley.

In District 8, preliminary results showed Crawford, principal at Ronnow Elementary School in Las Vegas and an officer in the Nevada Air National Guard, leading at 54.1 percent.

John Patrick Rice, an Elko community college professor and former Elko city councilman, was at 45.9 percent.

Crawford said Wednesday that she was waiting for all of the votes to come in but was feeling “pretty good.”

“Every vote counts, so I’m just waiting for the final vote,” she said.

She said her opponent called her Tuesday night to congratulate her, and they had a nice conversation.

Rice has much experience within the Nevada System of Higher Education and is a rural voice, Crawford said.

“He’ll definitely be someone that I reach out to or he can reach out to me as items come up,” she said.

Rice said via email Wednesday: “Last night I called my opponent Shelly Crawford and congratulated her on her good showing. The returns were trending in her favor last night and continue to trend in her favor today. We ran a good race and she has been a worthy opponent.”

The seat is occupied by Elko resident and board chair Cathy McAdoo, who was elected in 2016 and did not run for re-election.

Contact Julie Wootton-Greener at jgreener@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2921. Follow @julieswootton on Twitter.