The past month has been a time of transition for the City of Las Vegas, and the latest chapter took place Wednesday night at the city council meeting, where a new mayor was appointed and the city manager’s contract was terminated.
Almost exactly one month after former Mayor Louie Trujillo resigned from his position as Las Vegas’ mayor with two years left in his term, former Ward 4 City Councilor David Romero will be replacing him. He will hold office until the next regular election, scheduled for November 2025.
“Being mayor in this community is very difficult and it takes a lot of time,” Romero said when the nomination was made but before the final vote was taken. “Moving forward, we need to continue building relationships and never forget that there’s always the accountability piece. I am willing to accept this responsibility.”
Romero had been the acting mayor since Trujillo’s resignation, because he was the mayor pro tempore at that time. That position is made to step in with the power of the mayor when they are unable to perform the necessary duties.
Ward 3 Councilor Barbara Casey, who made the motion to make Romero the permanent mayor, said she has seen a lot of positive changes happening within the city in the month that Romero has been acting with this power, and she said she believes he will continue to make those positive changes now that he has the permanent title.
Casey and Ward 1 Councilor David Ulibarri both voted to appoint Romero to the position. Ward 2 Councilor Michael Montoya was unable to attend Wednesday’s meeting.
By accepting this responsibility, Romero gave up his Ward 4 Council seat, which had a term running through 2027. He will be tasked with appointing a replacement councilor in the coming weeks, who will have to be approved by the other members of the governing body. That position will be up for election again during the 2025 general election.
“There have been a lot of questions in the community saying I would be crazy to give up four years (in elected office) for two years, but we sit in these positions to better this community, and if I can’t do that in two years as mayor, then I’m wasting my time spending four years on the council,” Romero said.
Casey said, “I know David will do the best he can to ensure the city moves forward in a positive manner.”
The position of mayor has been turbulent in the City of Las Vegas over the past several years. Prior to Trujillo’s abrupt resignation, the previous mayor, Tonita Gurule-Giron resigned in the final months of her first term after criminal charges were filed against her for abuse of power while in office. She was later convicted for those crimes.
Many times during Wednesday’s meeting, the lack of trust among community members toward the city government was brought up, by Romero and members of the public during the public comment section of the meeting. Romero hopes to work toward restoring that trust between now and the end of his term as he looks to move the city forward.
One way the city plans to shift directions is by appointing a new city manager, as Leo Maestas’ contract was terminated by the governing body earlier in the meeting. Casey and Romero voted to terminate the contract, while Ulibarri voted against the termination.
Maestas was appointed by Trujillo in June 2021 following the resignation of William Taylor, who was Trujillo’s original city manager. Prior to becoming city manager, Maestas was the Emergency Manager for San Miguel County during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, when his position came to the forefront of importance and earned him local acclaim.
The idea of terminating his contract was originally discussed during a November meeting following Trujillo’s resignation, but the decision was postponed as the city aimed to maintain some sort of continuity in the weeks that followed.
After Wednesday’s split decision vote, Romero thanked Maestas for his efforts in helping the city and described the decision to terminate his contract as a chance to give the new administration a clean slate in bringing on their own team.
That responsibility now falls on Romero, who will be tasked with appointing a city manager as well as the Ward 4 Councilor. Just like the Ward 4 appointment, whoever is chosen as city manager must be approved by the governing body.
Before those decisions are made in the weeks to come, Romero will be officially sworn in as mayor. Though he was informally sworn in upon taking on the responsibility in November, he requested a more formal ceremony involving his family in the near future.
