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North Las Vegas election a labor battle
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Richard Cherchio
Age: 64
Occupation: Council member, retired postal worker
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Wade Wagner
Age: 48
Occupation: Dentist
LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL
Updated: Mar. 15, 2011 | 8:19 a.m.
The real battle for one North Las Vegas City Council seat this year isn't among the candidates.
Instead, it's between an incumbent and the city's public safety unions.
North Las Vegas's police and fire unions have been campaigning against Councilman Richard Cherchio, who voted for laying off corrections officers and has butted heads with union leaders during contract talks.
Cherchio, 64, hopes to keep the Ward 4 seat he was appointed to in 2009 after his predecessor, Shari Buck, was elected mayor.
The unions have endorsed dentist Wade Wagner, one of Cherchio's opponents. Also in the race is Goldie Pitchford, a 63-year-old library assistant and retired state administrator from New York. A fourth candidate, Richard L. Moyer, withdrew from the race.
The primary election is April 5. Early voting starts Wednesday at City Hall, and at other locations on Saturday, and extends through April 1. In races in which no candidate wins a majority, the top two finishers move on to the June 7 general election.
Union leaders have said they want residents to know public safety isn't Cherchio's priority. They also made political hay of an ethics complaint filed with the state against Cherchio over his failure to disclose several properties he owns, as required by law.
Cherchio said the omission was an oversight. He filed an amended disclosure form that includes the properties.
The matter has been resolved, according to the state's Commission on Ethics, which found the violation was not willful. No penalty was assessed against Cherchio.
Cherchio is a retired letter carrier who previously worked in Florida, where he was president of his local letter carriers union. He has lived in North Las Vegas since 2001.
His endorsements include the North Las Vegas Chamber of Commerce, Seniors United and Veterans in Politics.
He said his priority since being appointed to the council has been to balance the budget, while "understanding we have a salary structure that is difficult to sustain."
"Union leadership isn't happy about the tough decisions I've had to make and asking them to give something back to save our employees' jobs," he said, adding that "nobody wants to get rid of police officers or firefighters."
Cherchio said the unions favor Wagner because he is "agreeable to their wants and desires absent what's good for taxpayers."
North Las Vegas is dealing with a $25 million shortfall. The city laid off 188 workers in June. An additional 44, all detention center workers, were let go in October after the detention center lost about a third of its inmates to a facility for federal inmates in Pahrump.
Mayor Shari Buck was the only council member to vote against the detention center layoffs, saying public safety is her priority.
Wagner, who grew up in Southern Nevada, said he would not support cuts to public safety. He said he is proud to be endorsed by North Las Vegas's police and firefighter unions.
"I don't see how that could be a bad thing," he said.
If elected, Wagner, 48, said he would focus on recruiting new businesses to the city and eliminating wasteful spending.
He criticized council members, including Cherchio, who recently voted for paying an architectural firm $500,000 to start developing a master plan for an "international business community" in the city.
"That was irresponsible, especially when you're laying off public safety people," Wagner said. "It was a waste. We know what we need to do: Be more hands-on promoting North Las Vegas to businesses."
Cherchio said Wagner doesn't know enough about the project to judge it accurately.
"We decided in this economy we need to go above and beyond and create a real, true picture of our vision," Cherchio said.
Wagner said as a council member he would "get out and market" the city himself. Maintaining public safety funding is an important draw to new businesses, he said.
Pitchford said council members have made decisions that wasted money, including approving a new $131 million City Hall and Civic Plaza slated for completion in October. Cherchio was not on the council when the project was approved.
"You're sending a message to people that, even though these are hard times, we need a new building," she said. "If the old building is holding up, why can't we use it until things get better?"
Pitchford retired to North Las Vegas with her husband seven years ago. She took a job at a local library to fill her time, she said. She has served as president of her homeowners association.
If elected she would focus on recruiting businesses to the city by offering incentives -- such as discounts on business licenses -- to those who agree to hire locals, she said.
To help save money, she would look at consolidating some services, such as after-school programs, between municipalities, an idea that Las Vegas and North Las Vegas leaders have begun discussing.
She also would look at making some full-time city jobs part-time and encouraging employees to start job sharing when practical.
North Las Vegas's City Council members serve four-year terms and earn $41,827 a year.
Contact reporter Lynnette Curtis at lcurtis@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0285.
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ENDORSED BY VETERANS IN POLITICS:
Councilman Richard Cherchio was appointed by the City Council in July 2009 to fill the City Council Ward 4 seat. Councilman Cherchio has been a resident of North Las Vegas since 2001. Councilman Cherchio civic involvement began in 2001, shortly after moving to North Las Vegas when he took the post of president of The Parks Homeowners Association. Councilman Cherchio is a hand's on type of guy, he is not scared to get his hands dirty and stand up for what he believes is right not what he believes people want to hear. Councilman Cherchio is a supporter of a uniformed gun law for North Las Vegas and we would like to see North Las Vegas adopt the same laws as the city of Las Vegas.
Listen to Richard Cherchio North Las Vegas COUNCIL - WARD 4
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Veterans in Politics 03/12/11: Salazar & Churchio:
Steve and Jim talk to Lou Salazar Compliance Officer for Plumbers and Pipefitters Local 525 and Councilman Richard Cherchio North Las Vegas City Council Ward 4
http://www.vegasallnetradio.com/Shows/VeteransInPolitics.html
North Las Vegas COUNCIL - WARD 4
Councilman Richard Cherchio
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mD2fHaKTsEE
Sweetcndy would you give me the website address that contains this information. If it truly cost $300,000 as you say this documentation should be made public to educate the voters. No one wants to make a mistake and vote for the wrong candidate. This documentation is critical to the voter who wants to make NLV the best City it can be.
For all those who are "Uninfrmd": the reason why public safety employees have such high salaries is because it is cheaper to pay employees OT, than to hire and train a brand new employee. It costs $300,000 to put a fireman or cop through an academy. Cherchio wants to lay off from the already understaffed public safety depts. But then we will all have to pay 300,000 to rehire new guys when we have money again. Cherchio is not fiscally responsible. He does what's best for him, and since he's not backed by police or fire, that means lay them off. It's not only a selfish move, but a dangerous one as well. VOTE FOR WAGNER!!!
Well its been 8 days since I last posted. Vote them out only took exception to my response. I assume it was because I hit the nail on the head about the Police and Fire unions. Vote them out (stooge) is an obvious mouth piece for Hurley or Beaman. Mr. Cherchio's home purchases were before he was a council member but you knew that didn't you stooge. More lies and disinformation. One more thing I'm not Bob B. You waited 8 days to respond, did you just get back from Wyoming or Cedar City?
Chercho werent you the 8th pick for the council seat? Enjoy your last few months. Maybe you can get a job at the Convention Center like the one you got your wife. How many more favors can you get before your booted out of office.
Hey informed, or should I just call you BOB. Ask Mr. Cherchio if he still lives in his million dollar Turnberry Condo or better yet how a retired mailman can afford 3 houses and the condo. Follow the money trail with Cherchio and it will lead you right to the private ambulance companies owner John Wilson.
Wade Wagner is backed by Police and Firefighters Unions of which less than 10% live in NLV. When asked about the lies these 2 unions were distributing about Mr. Cherchio saying he voted for the new City Hall and the Water Reclamation Facility he nothing about it. When asked how many City Council meetings he has attended he replied 6. 6 Council meetings by a man who is 48 years old grew up in Southern Nevada and is concerned about NLV. When asked how a full time Dentist and father of 8 would have time to be a Councilman he replied it was not a full time job. Mayor Buck stated at the council meeting to fill her seat in Ward 4 that it was a full time job. Wade Wagner was not selected at that meeting, Mr. Cherchio was. Wade Wagner was hand picked by the unions and other special interests.
Why are the Police and Fire Dept unions trying to influence this campaign by smearing Mr. Cherchio's decision to be fiscally responsible? I believe that if we had more responsible representatives like him our city/state/federal governments would have a chance to achieve balanced budgets. Mr. Cherchio, I admire your realistic view on fiscal responsibility and think that you have done a great job during your short time in office. Every government employee must realize that government income (taxes) cannot sustain their wages just like the real estate market couldn't be sustained by the job market in Clark County so they will need to make a sacrifice or we all must pay higher taxes and drag this deficit into our childrens adulthood.
Unions are theives,on the real working suckers in america
Ban all og them from Govt
They are over payrd,rated parasites