Barbershop chain owner challenges incumbent for North Las Vegas City Council
Robert "Twixx" Taylor and North Las Vegas City Councilwoman Ruth Garcia-Anderson.
Home to more than 275,000 residents, the City of North Las Vegas is the state’s fourth most populous incorporated city – behind Las Vegas, Henderson, and Reno.
Over the last decade the city has gone from near bankruptcy to an economic hub for businesses in the warehouse, logistics, and technology industry.
Now residents in the City of North Las Vegas will get to choose between the city council representative they already know or a new leader for Ward 2 in November.
The nonpartisan North Las Vegas City Council includes the mayor and four members, who each represent a ward. City Council members are elected to four-year terms.
This year, Councilwoman Ruth Garcia-Anderson is seeking her first full term on the city council. She was originally appointed to her seat by the North Las Vegas City Council in December 2022 after then-Councilwoman Pamela Goynes-Brown was elected mayor.
Her opponent, small business owner Robert “Twixx” Taylor, has proven to be a strong competitor. During the primary in June, both candidates each earned about 39% of the vote. Taylor, however, came out on top with 1,958 votes, compared to Garcia-Anderson’s 1,920 votes.
Incumbent: Councilwoman Ruth Garcia-Anderson
Garcia-Anderson said despite her incumbency by appointment, she is not deterred by coming in second during the primary election, which saw a relatively low turnout.
“We have restrategized,” she said, adding turnout should be much higher in the general election.
Garcia-Anderson is endorsed by Goynes-Brown, and her fellow council members, Isaac Barron, Scott Black, and Richard Cherchio. She is also endorsed by the Nevada Association of Realtors, Plumbers & Pipefitters Local 525, North Las Vegas Police Officers Association, the Vegas Chamber of Commerce, Sheet Metal Workers Local 88, and Hispanics in Politics.
Through the first six months of the year her campaign raised $111,000, most of it in the second quarter that ended at the end of June. Her campaign had spent nearly $122,000 for her election to the city council as of June.
Waste disposal company Republic Services was her biggest campaign donor, donating $15,000. Her campaign also received several $5,000 contributions, including from Dotty’s parent group Nevada Restaurant Services Inc., Station Casinos, and the political arm of the Southern Nevada Home Builders Association.
Garcia-Anderson did not specify a political party affiliation in financial fillings.
If elected, Garcia-Anderson said her top priority would be public safety. She said her goal is to improve officer response time by increasing trained officers on patrol in North Las Vegas.
“I’ve heard from neighbors that they would like to see more presence, especially at nighttime,”Garcia-Anderson said. “I feel like we’ve made good progress in this area, but there’s always work to do. For sure.”
Garcia-Anderson said her passion for public safety is partially borne from personal experience. In the last year and a half, Garcia-Anderson said her family car was broken into twice, and her husband’s chiropractor clinic was also broken into.
“Even though it was a challenging time for us, I learned a lot by working with our police department. They have amazing crime prevention programs that I would love to share with the public,” Garcia-Anderson said.
Since her appointment, Garcia-Anderson has served as the vice chair of the North Las Vegas Redevelopment Agency, which has informed her work on development projects.
Earlier this year, the North Las Vegas City Council approved plans to repurchase the site of a planned 135-acre medical campus called Helios that was never developed.
“We actually have full control over that land now,” Garcia-Anderson said, which should “ensure” that the complex is developed.
Garcia-Anderson said she is focused on redevelopment plans in North Las Vegas including Hylo Park, a 73-acre mixed-use neighborhood on the site of the former Texas Station and Fiesta Rancho casinos. The site would include residential development, commercial space, and a sports complex
Garcia-Anderson is the first Latina to serve on the city council. She highlighted her skill as a bilingual speaker as a selling point for her reelection.
“I know how to listen. I know how to prioritize, I’m a multitasker and as a mother, I feel that I bring a very important perspective and unique perspective to the city council,” Garcia-Anderson said. “I have the skills necessary to get the job done, and I have been doing that.”
Challenger: Small business owner Robert “Twixx” Taylor
Taylor, owner of Fade ‘Em All barber shops, said he was honored to receive the most votes from Ward 4 residents during the June primary, and that he plans on winning the general election by “getting back on the doors” and talking to voters.
Taylor previously served on the City of North Las Vegas Civil Service Board of Trustees, the Las Vegas Metro Multicultural Advisory Council, and the Urban Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors. Taylor also ran for mayor in 2022 but did not make it to the general election.
Taylor is endorsed by various progressive groups, including the Progressive Leadership Alliance of Nevada (PLAN) Action Fund and Make the Road Action Nevada, the organization’s campaign arm. Taylor also received endorsements from the United Brotherhood of Carpenters Local 1977, Nevada Service Employee Union Local 1107, the Nevada Association of Public Safety Officers, the Henderson Police Officers Association, and the Nevada Veterans Association.
From January through June his campaign has raised $42,000 in contributions and spent about $40,000.
His largest single contribution was $5,000 from Rosalind Cotton, the executive director of the Children’s Center in Chicago. Taylor’s campaign has been fueled by smaller donations compared to his opponent, but some notable donations include $2,500 from a campaign fund affiliated with Clark County Commissioner William McCurdy, and $1,500 from SEIU 1107.
In financial fillings, Taylor listed his party affiliation as the Democratic Party.
If elected, Taylor said his top priority would be public safety and education. Taylor said the City of North Las Vegas needs to take a holistic approach to public safety, including installing more street lights, hiring more police officers and first responders, and funding youth programs.
Attracting and retaining police officers has been difficult in North Las Vegas, but could be tackled at the local level through educational programs that help students become police officers. He also said the city should incentivize locals to join the police force through bonuses.
“Once we do that and do it intentionally, we’ll end up getting much more youth into those careers,” Taylor said.
Taylor said he believes North Las Vegas needs to reexamine zoning, housing, and land use. North Las Vegas has seen a boom in the construction of warehouses and industrial space, which has strengthened the city’s economy, but has also contributed to pollution in nearby neighborhoods, he said.
“I’ve heard complaints about the warehouses right next to their houses and right next to their communities. And it causes much more pollution and debris in the streets,” Tayor said. “There’s no other place in Las Vegas where they let that happen.”
“We built another warehouse, it’s time to build for our community,” Taylor continued.
As a father of school-aged children, Taylor said he would push for development in North Las Vegas that’s community-focused.
“There are things North Las Vegas can build that can make money, and benefit our community. We’re the only city in Southern Nevada that doesn’t have a (performance) theater and a library,” Taylor said. “These are things North Las Vegas is missing out on. Especially Ward 2.”
“City View Park is open right now, but no one’s there. Because there’s no grass, there’s not even a playground anymore. If you go to City View Park, the park is open, but there’s no playground. That doesn’t make any sense. And that is a slap in the face to anyone who lives in the area,” Taylor said.
As North Las Vegas continues to grow and develop, Taylor said he hopes to represent small businesses and renters on the city council to ensure they aren’t left behind and pushed out by out-of-state investors and franchises.
“Small business owners should be able to take part in this new downtown North Las Vegas development. It shouldn’t only be geared towards big franchises,” Taylor said.
Recounting how he opened his first barber shop at 23 before developing a chain of shops in North Las Vegas, Taylor says his experience being raised in North Las Vegas and building a business from the ground up has prepared him to represent Ward 2.
“I’ve been on the front line with the community for a long time. I understand what it takes to help out the community and build the community. So in all different aspects, I am the clear choice,” Taylor said.