Valerie Weber talks Badlands, more police in neighborhoods — VIDEO

A decision to allow development on the former Badlands Golf Course could put other neighborhoods at risk. Short-term rental restrictions help preserve the quality of life in neighborhoods, which need a great police presence to decrease crime. That’s according to Valerie Weber, candidate for Ward 2 on the Las Vegas City Council.

The development of Badlands, which is in Ward 2, has been a contentious issue. Former Councilman Steve Seroka defeated then-incumbent Bob Beers in 2017 while running on an anti-development platform. Asked about her position on Badlands, Weber was non-committal.

“I’m still completing my research on this,” she said while filming Nevada Politics Today. “Any elected official, it’s their obligation to take a look at all sides and bring all parties to the table.”

Weber said she is concerned that a decision to develop Badlands could led to development in other parts of Las Vegas.

“There are perhaps other parcels in the city that are at risk, so there is still risk out there for other neighborhoods,” she said.

“They’re at risk for having the residents have their land that they know now change to something else whether they were aware of it or not. In the case of Badlands, a case could be made for the developer.”

Weber said that while the Badlands developer had the zoning ability to build, she understands why people want to “keep the preservation of their property values as well as the preservation of their neighborhood.”

Weber was sympathetic to those supporting restrictions on short-term rentals.

“I’m all about neighborhoods and preservation of the quality of life that we have all come to know — why we purchase in certain neighborhoods. I’ve talked to individuals — primarily in Ward 1 — about this issue,” Weber said. “They are concerned that there are people in their neighborhood that they don’t know. That disturbs their neighborhood. With the backdrop of this being, crime is the number one issue in this campaign. How our neighborhoods are eroding, because of what I call creepy crime. How that affects individuals in neighborhoods based on having the presence of strangers, as you will, temporarily coming in. That’s disturbing to them, and quite frankly, I emphasize with their position.”

The key to crime prevention, Weber contends, is increasing the number of police in neighborhoods.

“There’s not enough police presence for neighbors to feel secure,” Weber said. “We live in a day and age where you here popping sounds in the neighborhood and people automatically think it’s gunshots.

“That is where residents are. Life has changed since October 1, 2017. We need to be aware that people like the presence of police in their neighborhoods. We don’t have that.

“There are at least two to three cars that are being stolen in our neighborhoods — daily. People are just tired of it.”

The election for Ward 2 is a winner take all election. Victoria Seaman, another conservative Republican has been running for that seat for months. Weber said she wasn’t concerned about splitting that vote, because she sees a path to victory having just run for state Senate in a district that partially overlaps with Ward 2.

“I did the math and we can win,” she said.