Debra March

Name

Debra March

Occupation

Mayor, City of Henderson

Political Office

Mayor, City of Henderson

Political Affiliation

Democrat

How would you describe yourself to voters?

I am a hard worker with a passion for serving the people of Nevada. My lifetime of service began as a park ranger in Red Rock and Lake Tahoe. I then worked as a social worker and district office manager in Ely, serving 5 rural counties, Lincoln, Eureka, White Pine, Lander and Nye for eight years. Worked as Deputy Administer for Nevada Real Estate Division under Governor Miller and then served as the Marketing Director of Economic Development for the City of Las Vegas. Spent 15 years as Executive Director of UNLV’s Lied Institute for Real Estate Studies. Served on the City of Henderson Planning Commission from 2004 to 2009. Appointed as a Henderson Councilwoman to serve in Ward II in July 2009 and was subsequently elected in 2011 and reelected in 2015. Elected Mayor of Henderson in 2017. Current chairwoman of the Regional Transportation Commission and the Regional Flood Control District. Immediate past chairwoman of Southern Nevada Strong, a collaborative regional effort to plan, create and sustain neighborhoods.

What do you see as the top issues in this campaign?

As lieutenant governor, it would be my top priority to bring best practices in economic development to the state level and serve all Nevadans with the passion and enthusiasm that I have as mayor of Henderson.

In Henderson we targeted industries that promote diversification and bring jobs of the future, higher-skilled and better-paying jobs. Haas Automation, the world’s largest manufacturer of machines, is currently developing a 164-acre campus in West Henderson that will bring 2,500 high-skilled jobs to this community. And Google has invested more than $1.2 billion for two datacenters, putting Henderson on the global stage for tech innovation.

Creating jobs of the future also means preparing a future workforce. The city works with our education partners to create training and career pathways to meet the needs of Henderson employers. We contributed to Nevada State College’s (NSC) new Glenn and Ande Christenson School of Education that opened last year which will significantly increase our teacher pipeline. We also worked with NSC and College of Southern Nevada (CSN) to create the Betty Engelstad School of Health Sciences to address the critical need in our community for more healthcare professionals. We are also worked with the Clark County School District to locate a Career and Technical Academy that opens this fall.

The partnership we’ve built with the Golden Knights organization is amazing. It started with the creation of Lifeguard Arena on Water Street, creating our very first professional sports team, the Henderson Silver Knights. That was a catalyst project, attracting thousands of visitors and many new investors to downtown Water Street.

Less than five years ago, there were no professional or major college sports in Henderson. Today we are a sports city, home to four professional teams and major tournaments like the Big West Basketball Championships.

Education is equally important, as our children are our future, and our K-12 education system is failing them. We need to seek new solutions on how we educate our children. Right-sizing our districts and classrooms needs to be a part of the conversation. We should be investing in our teachers with training and financial compensation. An educated workforce is the key to a financially strong future for our state. My plan includes working with business, higher education, and trade facilities to be certain we have the necessary work force for both new businesses and business expansion.

Ensuring a strong statewide transportation network for residents and visitors is essential to guarantee that people can get to work and move effortlessly and safely throughout the state. We need to reform transportation governance to align with geographical and demographic representation. The building of new infrastructure, funding urban transportation and utilizing Interstate 11 to spur economic growth in our Central Great Basin is vital to our transportation success.

We have a challenge with affordable housing, the combination of limited, developable land and continued growth is why we struggle to meet current and future housing demands. We need to evaluate current housing conditions, including requirements that constrain the development of multi-family housing, understand the demography of the under-housed, and identify land that may be repurposed to develop affordable housing. Effective housing policy requires community specific intervention; there is no one-sizefits-all policy.

The role of the Lt. Governor is limited. How would you use the office to serve the state?

The role of the Lt. Governor is to serve as the chair of the Nevada State Senate, vice chair of the Nevada Department of Transportation, board of directors and chair of the Nevada Commission of Tourism. I bring decades of experience into all these divisions of office.

My vision as Lt. Governor is to build a brighter future for all Nevadans. A diverse and sustainable economy requires appropriately scaled and aligned governance that recognizes regional needs and challenges. Nevada is comprised of three distinct regions that require different suites of policies to uphold favorable trends while steering private and public investments in ways to overcome unfavorable ones. While we are One Nevada, we have diverse needs and assets in each region.

A chief responsibility of the Lt. Governor is chairing the state tourism board. What steps will you take to diversify Nevada’s economy and spur job growth?

As mayor of the second largest city in the state, I have been dedicated to improving our schools and ensuring our children have the resources they need and deserve. I have also committed to keeping Henderson safe and have worked tirelessly to diversify our economy and bring significant new industries to Henderson, with several public facilities under construction. Henderson continues to be an innovator and provides all the hallmarks a city needs to remain an attractive community where families desire to live. I’ve delivered on these goals while ensuring that we remain fiscally responsible and stable. As lieutenant governor, it would be my top priority to bring these best practices in economic development to the state level and serve all Nevadans with the passion and enthusiasm that I have as mayor of Henderson.

Why are you the best candidate for this position?

I believe leadership and experience matter. I am the only candidate with local government experience and have excelled in the areas of economic development, transportation, education and travel and tourism that are the key duties of this office. Henderson is the second largest city in this state and is a really special place. There’s a reason that we are on so many national “best of” lists, like one of the safest large cities in America, and one of the best places to raise a family, to retire, to buy an affordable home, and for veterans to live. We’re even ranked as one of the top two cities in the nation for dogs! Our master-planned residential areas, award-winning parks and recreation facilities and investment in our schools all contribute to a premier quality of life for those that live, learn, work and play in our community. Our 2021 Community Survey shows that 97% of Henderson residents are satisfied with the City as a place to live, and 94% are satisfied with Henderson as a place to raise a family. Our survey numbers are consistently very high and far above average for cities of our size. I bring decades of experience and my service in the roles of current chairwoman of the Regional Transportation Commission and the Regional Flood Control District certainly come into play. Regional leadership efforts also include immediate past chairwoman of Southern Nevada Strong, a collaborative regional effort to plan, create and sustain neighborhoods.