2 Republicans face off in nonpartisan Las Vegas City Council race

Voters narrowed the field of candidates vying to represent Las Vegas City Council Ward 2 during the June primary, now the top two voter-getters will get a rematch in November. 

Former Clark County firefighter Luke McCarthy and former Las Vegas Municipal Court judge Shannon Nordstrom will face off again during the general election after neither candidate received the necessary votes during June’s three-way primary to avoid a runoff. 

McCarthy led the field in June’s primary with about 35% of the vote, while Nordstrom finished second with about 33% – a difference of 355 votes. However, neither cleared the 50% threshold needed to win the seat outright. 

McCarthy entered the last stretch of the campaign with a significant fundraising advantage, raising about $130,000 in the first half of 2026, compared to Nordstrom’s roughly $50,000, according to financial disclosure records. 

Both candidates are registered as Republicans and spoke to the Nevada Current about economic development, housing, homeless services, education, and data centers. 

The winner will replace Councilwoman Kara Kelley, who was appointed nearly two years ago to serve out the remainder of former Las Vegas City Councilwoman Victoria Seaman’s term. As a condition of her appointment, Kelley agreed not to run for a full term in the next election.

The west valley ward, which covers much of Summerlin, is home to more than 116,000 residents. 

The nonpartisan Las Vegas City Council includes the mayor and six members, who each represent a ward. Positions are four-year terms and members are limited to a total of three terms on the City Council.

Meet the candidates

If elected, McCarthy said his priorities as a member of city council would include public safety, community development, and economic growth. 

McCarthy is a firefighter and has been with the Clark County Fire Department since 2006.

He holds bachelor’s degrees in political science and fire science administration from Trinity College, Connecticut, and the University of Maryland. He earned a master’s degree in crisis and emergency management from UNLV.

McCarthy has been endorsed by Las Vegas City Mayor Shelley Berkeley, Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Sheriff Kevin McMahill, District Attorney Steve Wolfson, John Piro, the assistant public defender with the Clark County Public Defender’s Office, and several veterans groups. 

If elected, Nordstrom said her priorities as a member of city council would include public safety, planning and permitting, and maintaining a business-friendly environment in the City of Las Vegas.

Nordstrom is currently a pro tempore judge with the Las Vegas Justice Court. She earned her Juris Doctor degree in international law and intellectual property from the University of the Pacific McGeorge School of Law. 

Before serving as a temporary judge, Nordstrom was an appointed hearing commissioner and alternate judge with the Las Vegas Municipal Court in 2018. In 2022, she also served a 5-month appointment as interim municipal court judge in Department 6.

Nordstrom has been endorsed by former Ward 2 City Councilwoman Victoria Seaman. 

Data Centers

Data centers have become a growing issue in Nevada. McCarthy said would support a city-wide moratorium on data centers in the City of Las Vegas, although he noted that the construction of one is unlikely in Ward 2 due to the high costs of land.

“We need to hit a pause button,” McCarthy said. 

Nordstrom said she believes the city council needs to look at each individual proposal and make decisions on a case-by-case basis. She emphasized the importance of reviewing the data center’s potential impact to water, power, environment, and neighborhood impacts. Nordstrom said she would be open to city-wide regulation on data centers.

“I think there’s a lot of misinformation out there, and I don’t pretend to have all the information,” Nordstrom said. “That’s how I would approach it. Getting the facts, getting the input from the relevant parties, and make a merit-based informed decision.

“That would be my job: to be open minded and consider anything,” Nordstrom said. 

Housing

McCarthy said the City of Las Vegas should review restrictive building codes — including elevator requirements and parking minimums — to attract more housing construction across all price points.

“Anything above four stories needs an elevator. As a firefighter, I don’t subscribe to that. I don’t think it’s necessary. I think we need to change the code,” McCarthy said. “We need to look at parking. Parking really does affect how much housing can be built on a specific piece of property.”

McCarthy said he supported pausing the ability of institutional investors and hedge funds from purchasing single-family homes in the City of Las Vegas. 

Nordstrom said the City of Las Vegas could tackle housing shortages and affordability by overhauling and simplifying the permitting process so housing developers can navigate permitting with ease and shorten their building timeframe.

“We could find a way to reduce some of the time between each of the individual steps, that would overall reduce the timeline. That will help reduce the base cost of new homes coming online from the get-go,” Norstrom said. “If we could make the timeline more certain, it would help them get projects online faster and lower the cost.”

Homeless services

McCarthy said the government should meet the homeless population where they’re at and address mental health and addiction issues through wrap-around services, including pet management. He said he is a fan of Las Vegas’ transitional housing facility Campus for Hope, which is set to open in 2028 near Charleston and Jones boulevards. 

“I don’t think it’s an issue of money. I think it’s an issue of pushing people towards services that already exist, but people need to be pushed towards those services,” McCarthy said. 

As a pro tempore judge, Nordstrom created two specialty programs to connect homeless individuals with services and treatment. Nordstrom said that work gave her insight on how to more effectively address homelessness and public safety.

“Fresh start” traffic and specialty court programs connect offenders on the verge of homelessness or experiencing homelessness with community service providers, and gives offenders a path to vacating fines, fees, and jail time mandated by the court.

“I believe when we’re addressing those that are unhoused, there needs to be a comprehensive approach. It needs to include wraparound services, all the treatments that are needed, such as mental health, substance use, but it needs to be on an individualized basis,” Nordstrom said. 

Public Safety

Both McCarthy and Nordstrom said they would advocate for increased funding for the Las Vegas Metro Police Department and first responders to further support public safety.

McCarthy emphasized the need for better regulation of electric bicycles and scooters, including ordinances making helmets and eye protection mandatory for riders under 18, similar to the ordinance passed by the City of Henderson in March.

He also stressed the need for comprehensive planning around wildland firefighting in light of federal funding cuts that could hinder wildfire safety in nearby Mount Charlston. 

“The urban-wildland interface has become a growing problem because wildfires are now burning entire communities,” McCarthy said.

Nordstrom said she would like to tackle public safety needs on a neighborhood to neighborhood basis, adding that some areas require better maintenance of streetlights and fire hydrants, others more security enforcement at public parks, and others emergency preparedness. 

“Public safety also means things that the city does, like street lighting, safe parks, traffic design, code enforcement, and addressing any repeat problems before they escalate,” Nordstrom said.

The Las Vegas City Council and Clark County are currently in discussions to terminate or extend the interlocal agreements between the county and the city. One point of contention are “county islands,” which are pockets of Clark County land surrounded by the City of Las Vegas. Las Vegas Fire & Rescue routinely responds to fire and medical service calls in these pockets, which the city has argued is not fairly compensated. 

Both candidates said they believe the agreement needs to be reviewed and updated to benefit both the county and the city. Both candidates favored dispatching the closest available unit, regardless of city or county boundaries.

Economic Development

McCarthy said he would like to see the City of Las Vegas attract more sporting events, which he said would attract national and international tourism. McCarthy said he would support using tax abatements to lure more sports teams to the city. 

“This past summer we had WrestleMania, which brought in about 60,000 people,” McCarthy said. “We need more of those. I’d love to see more pro sports here.”

Nordstrom said when it comes to maintaining a business-friendly environment in the City of Las Vegas, city officials should be open to new industries and avoid unnecessary regulations that may limit those new industries.

Nordstrom said tourism to the City of Las Vegas could be improved by improving safety and visitor experience around the Fremont Street Experience. 

Charter schools

Cities and counties were granted the ability to sponsor charter schools in 2023. The City of Las Vegas has not applied to become a charter school authorizer, however, the city has approved one charter school through an alternative route, which it opened in response to the pandemic. 

McCarthy said he believes the City of Las Vegas should consider additional charter schools if applicants demonstrate funding, land availability, a strong proposal, and a successful track record.

“I’d be happy to look at it, and I’d be happy to consider it. Now, that doesn’t mean it’s going to happen,” McCarthy said. 

Nordstrom said the city’s first charter school grew out of necessity, but that she does not think the City of Las Vegas “should be in the business of running schools on a bigger scale.”

“I wouldn’t entertain the possibility of creating any more city charter schools again, unless and until our reserve fund is fully funded, and those vacancies at City Hall have been filled,” Nordstrom said.