Sherry Strothers, a Navy veteran supported by labor and progressive groups, will face planning commissioner Esmeralda Villeda, who is backed by industry groups and sitting councilmembers, in the North Las Vegas Ward 1 race to replace a termed-limited incumbent.

Term-limited incumbent City Councilman Isaac Barron, who served since 2013, has backed Villeda as his replacement. 

Three candidates ran during the June primary election to replace Barron. Villeda came in first with 40% of the vote, or 1,575 votes, while Strothers obtained 35%, or 1,384 votes. 

Because none of the candidates obtained more than 50% of the vote, the race advanced to the general election. 

Villeda had a massive fundraising lead over Strothers according to July 15 campaign finance reports. 

Strothers, whose campaign has been overwhelmingly self-funded, raised about $35,000 with about $3,000 on hand at the time. 

Villeda, who has received financial support from various industry groups including real estate and developers as well as the significant backing from the North Las Vegas Fire Fighters Local 1607, raised $64,000 in the second quarter of the year. She had $48,000 on hand at the time.  

Villeda, a real estate agent, serves as the vice chair of the City of North Las Vegas Planning Commission, which makes recommendations to the City Council on matters of planning and zoning.

Strothers has also worked as a real estate agent in North Las Vegas after retiring from the navy. 

Nevada Current interviewed Strothers and Villeda ahead of the primary election. 

Strothers, who is homing in on housing affordability and revitalization of aging neighborhoods, said at the time that Ward 1 had been neglected and left out of revitalization plans. 

Her top housing priorities include reviving a Veteran-Housing Initiative, a 112-unit housing project that was proposed to be developed on a vacant land that was previously blocked due to zoning issues, and converting vacant properties into affordable housing. 

Strothers said she also supports a policy that prevents high rental increases, similar to a 5% limit on rent increases pushed by the Culinary Union in 2022. 

There were conflicting views on whether the union received the necessary amount of votes for the ballot initiative to qualify. In a 4-1 vote, the city council ultimately killed the ballot initiative. 

“I don’t want to kill industry,” Strothers previously told the Current.  “I want business to still be attracted to North Las Vegas, but we do need something that minimizes the ability for large landlords to just arbitrarily raise their rent.” 

Villeda said she wanted to build on the work she has done on the planning commission.

“I’ve been on the planning commission for three years now,” she told the Current earlier this year. “I see where the city is going. I see the momentum. I’m already working with our council members, with our mayor, making sure that we continue to keep that momentum going.”

In addition to affordability, she wants to address proximity to amenities like grocery stores and parks. 

“We want to make sure that residents don’t have to drive 10 to 15 minutes to a grocery store or 10 to 15 minutes to a community park,” Villeda said. 

One of her top priorities is to bring long-overdue improvements to streets and parks in the ward, according to her campaign website. 

Both candidates were asked by The Nevada Independent whether North Las Vegas should implement a data center moratorium. 

Strothers said she strongly agreed saying “projects should demonstrate measurable community benefits before moving forward.” Villeda didn’t respond. 

When asked about whether the city should enter into a 287(g) agreement with the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Strother told the Independent that it “would undermine community trust and make residents less willing to report crimes.” Villeda declined to answer. 

In addition to Barron, Villeda is endorsed by current North Las Vegas Councilman Scott Black, who is running for mayor, and out-going mayor Pamela Goynes-Brown. 

Labor groups including SEIU and Teamsters Nevada endorsed Strothers. She is also backed by veterans groups including Nevada Veterans Caucus, as well as the Nevada Black Legislative Caucus, Make the Road Nevada Action and Progressive Leadership Alliance of Nevada Action.

Both candidates received dual endorsements from the Culinary Union.