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Rick Workman
Rick Workman was a candidate for mayor of Henderson in Nevada. He was defeated in the primary election on April 4, 2017. Although mayoral elections in Henderson are officially nonpartisan, Workman identified as a member of the Republican Party.[1] Click here to read his response to Ballotpedia's 2017 municipal candidate survey.
Workman previously ran for mayor of Henderson in 2013. He won 37 percent of the vote in that race, placing second of seven candidates for the seat.[2]
Biography
Workman earned an A.S. in administration of justice from Allan Hancock College, an A.A.S. in nuclear technology from the Community College of the Air Force, a B.S. in business management from the University of La Verne, and an M.A.S. in aerospace management from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University.[3]
As of his 2017 run for mayor, Workman was a forensic lab director for the city of Henderson. His professional experience also includes work as an affiliate faculty member for Regis University, a CALEA accreditation manager for the city of Henderson, a senior crime scene analyst for the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department, an adjunct instructor for Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, the director of the Weapons Safety Division of the U.S. Air Force Weapons and Tactics Center, a nuclear weapons technical inspector for the Defense Nuclear Agency, a police officer with the city of Lompoc, and a squadron cadet commander for the Civil Air Patrol. Workman has served as chair of the forensic science organization NevadaCSI.[3]
Elections
2017
The city of Henderson, Nevada, held a primary election for mayor and city council on April 4, 2017. A general election was scheduled for June 13, 2017. The filing deadline for candidates who wished to run in this election was February 2, 2017.
Incumbent Mayor Andy A. Hafen was not eligible to run for re-election due to term limits. The race for the Ward III seat on the city council advanced to the general election.[4] The following candidates ran in the primary election for mayor of Henderson.[5]
| Mayor of Henderson, Primary Election, 2017 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
 Debra March |
55.04% | 11,367 |
| Rick Workman | 35.74% | 7,380 |
| Crystal Hendrickson | 3.46% | 714 |
| Angelo Ray Gomez | 1.79% | 370 |
| Eddie Hamilton | 1.48% | 305 |
| Anthony Csuzi | 1.29% | 266 |
| Gerald Sakura | 1.21% | 250 |
| Total Votes | 20,652 | |
| Source: Clark County Elections, "2017 Municipal Primary Election - Official Final Results," accessed May 1, 2017 | ||
Campaign themes
2017
Workman participated in Ballotpedia's 2017 survey of municipal government candidates.[6] The following sections display his responses to the survey questions. When asked what his top priority would be if elected, the candidate made the following statement:
| “ | Identify wasteful spending and other poor uses of resources, reallocate resources, and use the skills of existing employees instead of outsourcing and promoting tax increases.[7] | ” |
| —Rick Workman (March 21, 2017)[8] | ||
Ranking the issues
The candidate was asked to rank the following issues by importance in the city, with 1 being the most important and 12 being the least important: city services (trash, utilities, etc.), civil rights, crime reduction/prevention, environment, government transparency, homelessness, housing, K-12 education, public pensions/retirement funds, recreational opportunities, transportation, and unemployment. This table displays this candidate's rankings from most to least important.
| Issue importance ranking | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Candidate's ranking |
Issue | Candidate's ranking |
Issue |
| Crime reduction/prevention | Homelessness | ||
| K-12 education | City services (trash, utilities, etc.) | ||
| Government transparency | Transportation | ||
| Unemployment | Environment | ||
| Housing | Recreational opportunities | ||
| Civil rights | Public pensions/retirement funds | ||
Nationwide municipal issues
The candidate was asked to answer questions from Ballotpedia regarding issues facing cities across America. The questions are in the left column and the candidate's responses are in the right column. Some questions provided multiple choices, which are noted after those questions.
| Question | Response |
|---|---|
| Very important | |
| None | |
| In addition to the new officers scheduled to be hired, build a much larger forensic laboratory (replacing the current 4,500 sq. ft. facility) to include DNA analysis capability and to increase current capacity to test blood for alcohol/drugs; drug analysis, and fingerprint/related sciences. The lab will help solve and prevent crime, which will essentially add more law enforcement officers for the street and other duties. It will also help increase officer safety, and enable them to do more proactive enforcement. This will increase police presence/activity, which can also be augmented through public outreach/education programs. | |
| Recruiting new businesses to our city, facilitating small business development, facilitating partnerships between owners of vacant buildings and business owners in need of right-size facilities; and regulatory and licensing reforms (reductions). | |
| The suburban-style neighborhoods, walk and bike trails, parks. | |
| Institute stronger leadership in the City Council and a cultural change within city government. Empower employees to help improve operations, improve communications with citizens in regard to zoning/rezoning issues, substantially increase transparency in government activities and records. |
Additional themes
Workman's 2017 campaign Facebook page listed the following priorities:[9]
| “ |
Primary Goal - The City of Henderson needs to build a new forensic lab to prevent and solve rapes, reduce DUI victims, and decrease overall crime and its related costs to the entire community. In 2007, Anthony Zuiker (creator of the CSI TV series) pledged one million dollars to my private fundraising effort to build a lab. However, I was forced to return donations for the following reason: In response to a U.S. Senate funded study by the National Academy of Sciences, the Las Vegas Sun contacted me for my opinion on the study as a local forensic science expert. City officials placed me on administrative leave for speaking to the reporter about contextual bias in forensic labs. Subsequently, the city council deleted my job classification as Criminalistics Administrator. I had to cease efforts to build a lab and return the donations as a condition of my continued employment under a different classification. Henderson could have had a laboratory by now, preventing unnecessary victims of crime. I realized a change of leadership was required for Henderson to get the lab it needs – so I am running for mayor. Some Additional Goals - City management will be directed to work with line-level employees to improve the work environment. They will help identify administrators who hold unnecessary positions, are ineffective, wasteful, or promote a culture of fear, and consequently there will be opportunities for the most qualified employees to advance. This cultural improvement will increase efficiency, accountability, and enhance city services for the citizens of Henderson. I will seek to release restrictions that have effectively bought the silence of employees who signed the Voluntary Employee Severance Program (VESP) agreement. They will be able to speak with the media on matters that Henderson citizens should be aware of. There will be a new level of cooperation with the media and other parties requesting public information. The City of Henderson will be an open government agency.[7] |
” |
Endorsements
2017
Workman received endorsements from the following in 2017:[1]
- Henderson Police Supervisors Association
- Republican National Hispanic Assembly Nevada
See also
| Henderson, Nevada | Nevada | Municipal government | Other local coverage |
|---|---|---|---|
 |
 |
 |
 |
External links
- Henderson Mayor and Council
- Campaign website
- Social media
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Ballotpedia's municipal government candidate survey, 2017, "Rick Workman's Responses," March 21, 2017
- ↑ Clark County Election Department, "2013 Municipal Primary," accessed February 3, 2017
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 LinkedIn, "Rick Workman," accessed February 3, 2017
- ↑ Las Vegas Review-Journal, "Henderson Mayoral Field Includes 19-Year-Old Trump Intern," February 2, 2017
- ↑ City of Henderson, Nevada, "Candidates Filed," accessed February 3, 2017
- ↑ Note: The candidate's answers have been reproduced here verbatim without edits or corrections by Ballotpedia.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ Ballotpedia's municipal government candidate survey, 2017, "Rick Workman's Responses," March 21, 2017
- ↑ Facebook, "Rick Workman for Mayor on December 1, 2016," accessed February 3, 2017
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