Clark County Council chair sounds like an important position. But what does the chair do?
The position was created after voters passed a home rule charter in 2014. The chair is the only member of the council elected countywide, and receives a salary that’s 20 percent more than other councilors (currently the chair earns $5,568 per month, or about $67,000 annually).
Nan Henriksen, former chair of the group that wrote the charter, said that the chair is the “face of the county.”
Under the charter, the chair presides over meetings. The chair (or a designee) serves as the county’s spokesperson, articulating the council’s “policies, vision, strategies and plans.” The chair also represents the county before the governor, Legislature and other government entities. Additionally, the chair meets and greets “important visitors” and attends dedications and ceremonial events.
The chair has the same vote as the other four members of the council and has no administrative authority. So aside from wielding the gavel, going to lots of meetings and showing up to ribbon-cuttings, what power does the chair have?
Henriksen said that the chair has influence, not power. She said that to effectively wield that influence, the chair needs to show leadership, be a good legislator and work well with others.
Henriksen said that whomever assumes the role will need to have a strong understanding of county issues that they can articulate. She said that the challenge for the chair is to put their own views aside.
“I think it is very important that whomever wins (the election for chair) needs to put their personal ideology aside,” she said. “Things are decided by a council as a whole and once that decision has been made the voice of the county chair needs to be effectively communicating those decisions to others, and not just their personal viewpoint.”
The first person to occupy the position is Marc Boldt. Elected in 2015, Boldt, a former Republican county commissioner and legislator, ran for council chair listing no party preference. He’s said that the chair has less power because they have to put their views aside when speaking for the council.
“The job really is to be a servant,” said Boldt.
He also said that the council, particularly the chair’s position, should be nonpartisan.
Henriksen said that the freeholders decided not to make the council nonpartisan because they were worried too many changes would complicate things. But that could change as the charter is periodically reviewed.
