Top 3 candidates for City of Las Vegas mayor’s race touch on heated issues during debate

LAS VEGAS (KLAS) – The race for mayor of Las Vegas is underway and the three top candidates took the stage for a debate ahead of the 2024 election.

The hour-long event which featured City Councilwoman Victoria Seaman, Councilman Cedric Crear, and former Congresswoman Shelley Berkley, touched on several important topics ahead of the upcoming primary election.

The first hot-button issue: making housing in Nevada more affordable.

Candidates face off in a debate ahead of the 2024 Las Vegas mayoral election

Councilwoman Seaman and Berkley pushed on a plan to develop on federal land, while Councilman Crear spoke more about modernizing older areas and making them cheaper.

The next question pertained to homelessness in Southern Nevada; specifically a question over the expansion of services across the valley.

All three candidates spoke on a need for more services along with an unidentified location dedicated to treatment and transitional housing.

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Each also supported the city camping ban passed a few years ago, which would allow authorities to cite or arrest someone sleeping on the streets if there is room at a shelter.

“They say you have to reach a homeless person 7 to 8 times,” Crear said, speaking on the issue. “Before they are willing to take services.”

Some contention came when 8 News Now moderators asked about the future of The Animal Foundation and its current contract with the city.

Crear and Berkley remained mostly positive, while Seaman, who has spoken out about the shelter in the past, continued to push for a shake-up once its current contract is up in 2025.

“We are going to buy back the shelter and we are going to get a new shelter that cares,” Seaman said about The Animal Foundation. “That truly cares about animals.”

However, the true discord came with a question over the City of Las Vegas years-long battle regarding the development of the Badlands Golf Course in Summerlin.

After the city bought the land and made zoning changes, the developer sued. So far Las Vegas has been ordered to pay about $250 million.

Berkley said she was passionate about settling the case, while Seaman spoke on her change of heart a few years ago and her subsequent decision to stop funding the fight.

Crear, on the other hand, said he was for the litigation, calling it worth it.

“What Cedric has said is so wrong and so outrageous,” Berkley said. “There are five court decisions that refute everything he just said.”

Crear then countered Berkley’s claim, leading to the two clashing.

“If we don’t fight for the neighbors,” Crear said. “Who will fight for the neighbors?”

Seaman then jumped in later and accused Berkley of sitting on the sidelines as the situation continued.

“I never heard from my constituents, Ms. Berkley, to come and help,” Seaman said, challenging Berkley. ‘Although she thinks I could have done this alone with four people.”

“I don’t need to do your job, Victoria,” Berkley responded.

Agreements were also at the forefront, with candidates pushing for a medical center and children’s hospital to be developed at the Cashman Center site.

The final, but arguably most important topic was education. All three candidates were asked the age-old question; should CCSD be split up?

“The needs in Laughlin are not the same as the needs in Mesquite, which are not the same as the needs in Summerlin or Ward 5,” Seaman said, “I would like to see it broken up.”

Conversely, Crear and Berkley insisted on a more detailed plan in this case.

“There has never been a strategic plan that talks about what that looks like,” Crear said, speaking on potential changes at CCSD.

All these discussions culminated in each candidate’s call for every citizen’s vote.

Several other topics were touched on, including the balance of developments downtown, efforts to improve mass transit, the beautification of city parks, and the ‘order out’ legislation.

Early voting begins Saturday for the primary election.

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