Our special series on Las Vegas’s mayoral race continues with co-host Dayvid Figler interviewing candidate Lynn Baird, a longtime Las Vegan who worked for decades at Nevada’s Department of Employment Training and Rehabilitation. Lynn explains his platform based on promoting more moral principles and family values, his plans for affordable housing, and enforcing laws in Las Vegas.
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Dayvid: Our mayoral profiles continue today with candidate Lynn Baird. Lynn is a long time Las Vegan who worked for decades at the state's Department of Employment Training and Rehabilitation and touts a push towards more moral principles and family values as they The main planks of his platform.
Today on CityCastLasVegas, we chat with Lin about his campaign and positions as he and 13 other candidates compete for the role of mayor of Las Vegas. It's Sunday, May 12th. I'm David Figgler, and here's what Las Vegas is talking about.
Lynn Baird, welcome to CityCast Las Vegas, and let's just start by having you tell us who you are and why you're running for mayor.
Lynn: So I'm Lynn Baird. I lived in Las Vegas for almost 35 years. And like you said earlier, worked in the Department of Employment Training and Rehabilitation. Helped work through 9 11, Great Recession in 2008, COVID 19. Uh, help with, um, billions of dollars of payments and, and trying to help the people of Nevada, people of Las Vegas especially, uh, kind of get on their feet to work through some of those challenging moments.
Um, I started there in the campaign race a little late because my wife and I were serving as missionaries for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter day Saints and we just finished our mission right at the end of March and so we're now a, a solid five weeks into the campaign. And, uh, we're excited to be here, excited to, to try to see what we can do to make the city better.
Dayvid: quick, quick question. Where'd you do your mission at?
Lynn: So, we spent most of our time in India, which was absolutely fascinating, uh, incredibly fascinating to, to spend time in that country and get to know the people there, work with them, try to help them in various needs that they had.
Dayvid: Now, I'm sure a lot of people are curious about Dieter because it was, you know, so much in the headlines during especially COVID times. Tell us more about your role with Dieter. What are some of the accomplishments you're most proud of in your, Long time working for that entity,
Lynn: So, I did spend over 30 years in DETR. Started as a brand new lowest level claims examiner. Received some promotions and ended up being in charge of a lot of the southern Nevada parts. And just tried to help, um, just tried to help the process become more smooth. And we know that it wasn't always smooth.
And we know that there were hiccups and glitches along the way. But, uh We did help pay billions and billions of dollars into the, to the pockets of people who were hurting. So, it was a wonderful opportunity to be a public servant and just to try to help other people and get them on the road to healing and to recovery.
Dayvid: right? I think most people know it, uh, although it's not exclusively their function, but where people file their unemployment claims, um, how do you think your experience with Dieter will benefit the citizens of Las Vegas in times of economic hardship, uh, if that comes back in the future?
Lynn: So a couple of things come to mind. Probably the most important thing to my way of thinking is, I feel like I have a special compassion for people who are struggling and and people who need help. You know, I've worked as a manager and and so they're, you know, helped up with, you know, Honestly, around 500 people during COVID, um, where I was in intricately involved and integrally involved with them.
Um, but to love just working with my coworkers, trying to get the job done, trying to do it right, trying to do it happily, cheerfully. And I want to bring the same kind of, uh, attitude, the same, uh, energy, Kind of non stop Energizer Bunny type of thing to the office of mayor.
Dayvid: Now, Dieter wasn't without its critics, amongst other things, months long waiting times for unemployment benefits during the pandemic. How do you respond to criticisms like that?
Lynn: You know, there are some of the criticisms that I feel personally were more valid than others. There's sometimes that you just kind of play with the deck you get dealt. Uh, to use a kind of a Nevada or a Las Vegas analogy. And, uh, Sometimes, you know, we just didn't have resources. They weren't available from either the state or the, the government, the federal government.
And, um, you know, we did try to make the very best decisions that we could. And, um, I tried to support those above me, uh, in, in their decisions. And even if I didn't agree with them, I tried to support them and, and, and definitely tried to make it a, a place where the people liked to work. And the people felt like they could give it everything they had to help the people of Las Vegas, Nevada, and even beyond.
Dayvid: switch focus then to the mayoral race. That's the one you're running for. So, what do you think should be the top priority for the new mayor? Whether it's you or someone else.
Lynn: So, we hear a lot about some of the general concerns, you know, there's affordable housing, there's homelessness, there's public safety, education, things like that. And the thing that, as I look way far down the road, I am First of all, I'm very aware that there are current needs today and tomorrow, uh, but I want to make sure, to use a Stephen Covey phrase, that we take time to sharpen the saw, that we prepare for the future, and I feel like, We can do a better job of preparing for the future.
You mentioned earlier in the podcast kind of a moral, a value based society, and I really believe that is important. And I believe in the, that families are so, so important. And I want to really focus on strengthening families and strengthening the community. Instead of a bunch of me's, have it be one we.
I'd really like to do that and encourage that and support that.
Dayvid: And Lynn, how specifically would you go about accomplishing that?
Lynn: I want to, I want to praise good behavior is one thing. I'd love to get a billboard or two or three or seven, and just put up good things that people are doing, so that people see what other people are doing that are good. And there's so much good going on in this city. Most of it's kind of hidden behind the scenes.
Uh, worked with a lot of good people who are doing a lot of wonderful things to help and I would like to get that more out on the front burner so that people can see, hey, I can be a part of this. I'd like to do that. I'd like to be a part of that. One of the things that I'm really concerned about is education.
And I know this is not for the school board superintendent, but, um, I'd love to get into the schools and try to help teach classes on being respectful and being honest, having integrity, being responsible. Um, cause as we, We learn those things, especially from the ground up, from our birth on, those are more inculcated into our belief system, into our actions.
And then our whole society becomes better. We all know that if there's a good foundation, then we can build a good building on it. If there's not a good foundation, it doesn't matter how good of a building we build. It's going to have a problem.
Dayvid: So Lynn, uh, let's say you get elected mayor and you get one free billboard. What is the good act that you're aware of now that you put up on that billboard?
Lynn: so one of the things I want to do is I want to celebrate people who do well and celebrate people who improve. I'd love to get the people who are getting A's in school up on the billboard, but even more importantly, I'd love to get the people who were C and got up to B, or who were F and got up to D or C.
I want to get them up on the billboard so they can think, you know what, I did something good and it's appreciated. For
Dayvid: So Lynn, you're seeing, um, picking some kid from the city who got a C but last year and now got a B and putting their face right up there. That's your first billboard?
Lynn: I, I think that'd be one of my first billboards. One of my other ones is that I
Dayvid: Well, of course they'd have to agree. You don't want to just pluck someone without their permission,
Lynn: of course, of course, absolutely. 100%. Um, so I know of a young man who went to school here and he graduated at probably the age of 18. I don't know exactly how old he was, but he graduated about the 18.
He is a commercial airline pilot. At the age of 22. Because he took his school seriously. He happens to be a member of my church, Church of Jesus Christ of Latter day Saints, and he spent time on a mission, I believe, but he took school seriously. I want to celebrate, and it doesn't matter who you are, but people who take school seriously and make something out of their lives, I want to celebrate that.
I know of a, there was somebody else I was thinking about that I wrote down that I wanted to get them kind of up on a billboard and say, hey, this is a person, you can be like this person. This person is just like you. You can do this too. You don't have to settle for something less.
Dayvid: MUSIC
Now, you know, a lot of this is feel good, family value stuff, and I appreciate that very much, Lynn, but you know, in, um, American politics, really, for a long time, sometimes, terms like that, family values, etc., become synonymous with so called traditional nuclear families, and, you know, Las Vegas is a very diverse place.
Um, it's become a tradition at City Hall, uh, during gay pride celebrations for City Hall to fly LGBTQ flags or change the colors of the exterior lights in support of that. Would those kind of practices stop with you as mayor?
Lynn: know, I have a daughter who identifies with LG, LGBTQ, sorry. Uh, and, and so, I recognize that we all have our own story. Uh, I, I want to be as inclusive as possible. There's some things I don't support, some things I do support, but I definitely want to be inclusive. I want to try to help people feel like they matter and they are important.
Dayvid: Now, Lynn, I was looking at, uh, some of your campaign, uh, uh, Materials, stuff you have up on Instagram and other social media. You do mention on your platform that there needs to be more enforcement of laws and perhaps stricter penalties for people who violate laws. What's your take on incarcerating people who are homeless for minor offenses like sleeping in public places, lingering on bus benches, possessing a shopping cart, things like that?
Lynn: So I'm just gonna back, take a step back on that and, uh, one of the things that's important to me is to make sure that. If there is a rule, and we enforce the rule, then there really is a rule. But if we don't enforce the rule, then there wasn't really a rule to begin with. And I need us to understand that that's important.
And there are definitely, crimes that are much worse than others. And sleeping on a park bench is not as big on my, to do list as, you know, robbing a bank or beating somebody up or killing somebody. But I definitely want to make sure that we're consistent in our enforcement. And so I don't want to necessarily be overly strict.
I am aware of places like Singapore where there's virtually no crime because they have very strict penalties. And I don't need to cane people like they do in Singapore. We won't cane people. That's just not part of the program. But I do want us to follow the rule of law. That's how we got to be Americans.
We followed the rule of law. And when we kind of split off this way or that way or make a loophole here, a loophole there, then our rule of law tends to disintegrate. And I don't want that. I want us to all work together. to be a really good society and I think that's one of the ways we can do that.
Dayvid: Now, the rule of law isn't always Fair to every group. Uh, I mean, there are ideas of doing reforms of drug laws, uh, or treating people who have addiction with more respect and instead of incarceration, uh, fund other kind of programs. I mean, uh, what do you think about those kind of, uh, groups that maybe personally you don't support?
would you, as the mayor, uh, have any issue or concern in diverting funds to groups like people who are addicted to drugs or people, uh, who traditionally are, are maybe excluded from some of the, uh, some of the societal benefits.
Lynn: You know,
on the Statue of Liberty it says, Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to be free, the wretched refuse of your teeming shore. Send me the homeless tempest, or send these, the homeless tempest tossed to me. I lift my lamp beside the golden shore. And I like that idea. You know, we have limited resources.
we can't help everybody, but I'd like to help as many people as we can. you know, if, if they need help, I want to think about it. I definitely want to consider it. Absolutely.
Dayvid: Lynn, from your perspective, what do you think the City of Las Vegas is doing best right now?
Lynn: Uh, I think the City of Las Vegas is doing best at attracting tourists.
Dayvid: Is that a good priority?
Lynn: That's what we're built on. Uh. And I have no problem with that. I definitely want to make sure that we're taking care of our own bill.
Dayvid: So how do you, how do you find that balance, Lynn, between, you know, being a place that is attractive to the tourists who come here and give all that economic support and the needs of the people who are here?
Lynn: You know, that's a, uh, something that I've thought about and wondered where is the balance and that, and, and I don't know that I can articulate a really good answer right off the cuff, but I want to make sure that there is balance. And I hope as I continue to learn, continue to grow, get farther along in this process, that more of the balance will become understandable and become more clear.
Dayvid: Lynne, one of the issues that seems to keep popping up in Las Vegas is the Badlands litigation, um, that of course for people who aren't following it is the, uh, developer over on the golf course near, Tivoli Village in Boca Park out in that part of town, uh, that sued the city because of, uh, interpretations of what could and couldn't be built.
Uh, that developer has been Kind of kicking the city's butt and the amounts of money due to him are nearing almost half of a billion dollars. Uh, have you been following that, controversy? And if you have, what's your take on it?
Lynn: So I have been following it, uh, from a media standpoint, uh, and I feel like I'm missing some important pieces, just from the media standpoint that I've been able to access, it seems like, I think we should stop the bleeding. But I feel like the city must have more that they're concerned about with their legal team that is, that I'm not understanding, that it's not coming to me through what I've read in the media.
that the city feels like they're in the right and I need to understand more about that and I, I, I'm still trying to work through that, so. I do not want us to be on the hook for a lot of money, though. I definitely don't like that idea, but I, I gotta figure out more about that.
I know you're a legal professional. Maybe you can point me in a better
Dayvid: Man, I wish I knew. You know, to me it's always about figuring out a way to entice someone to settle a case for way less than what the courts are saying that they should get. So if there was like a land swap or something else where you're not taking money out of the public coffers because, uh, the city just doesn't seem to be Uh, coming from a strong position.
So, uh, I, I think at that point, you're, you're, you're not far off, Lynn. It's like, how do you cut your losses? You know, how can you focus your energies on, uh, making the person happy with what they get, as opposed to making them angry to take what they can? Right?
Lynn: I, I agree.
Dayvid: I should be running for mayor. You should be interviewing me, Lynn.
Come on.
Lynn: So, David, let's talk about how you'd handle the Badlands, okay? Okay.
Dayvid: made the right decision in the first place. Let me ask you this. You know, Lynn, um, homelessness is at the top of a lot of people's, issues for the city and this mayoral race. What do you think the cause of the increase of homelessness is? And what do you think the city's doing wrong?
Lynn: don't, I don't know that the city's doing something wrong. I know we've heard in the past that different cities and states bus their homeless people here, there. And I, I don't know how much that has or hasn't happened that has maybe helped cause it. I know that there are concerns about mental health.
Issues with that seem to go hand in hand with a lot of homelessness. I remember talking to or trying to talk to a person one day who was homeless and there was just no way to communicate with this person. It was really sad. I remember another a homeless couple who were just on the verge of having a baby and and you know, People who, no fault of their own, and they're out on the street.
And it was sad too. And I realize and I recognize that there are at least some factors that I kind of understand. You know, if you have, like my wife and I, when we wanted to buy a house, we could get a loan up to the appraised value of the house. But if somebody put in one more dollar cash than we could get our loan for, then we're off.
We're out and they get the house and and we fought that for a long time and we were never able to overcome that and so I can see how those kinds of things can help and I I was thinking that maybe we could do a Some kind of a thing where if people are paying cash especially out of state people were paying cash because like I read somewhere that like seven out of ten people moving into the valley or from out of state Uh, and so many of them are paying cash, uh, I thought, you know, maybe we could tax them, but then I found out that, that apparently was illegal, and so we can't do that idea.
But, uh, I, I do recognize it's a concern, and, and, um, I definitely want to make sure we try to address it, uh, with the resources that we have. Um,
Dayvid: asking people, and it's a little more fun. Uh, you know, as the mayor, you could pretty much summon anyone you want to sit down and talk with you for a while. who is the first person alive that you would ring up to have a long talk to figure out what the pulse of the city is?
And the only, exceptions are, it can't be me, uh, and it can't be a Goodman. So, who would be the person that you would, uh, you would summon to lunch to give you the pulse?
Lynn: you know, I, I've talked with a few former city council people. Uh, former county commissioners, and I would try to talk with more of those people who've been in the business more, and I think I could do that, uh, and I would like to do that. I'd like to also, um, like the NRA, the, um, Nevada Resort Association, I'd like to get their finger on it, because they have such a big part to play here.
Um, yeah, yeah.
Dayvid: Any of the, uh, former city council people that you would love to talk to if you had one who would just come to hang out with you?
Lynn: Oh, gosh. I might talk with, you know, I'd love to talk with one on each side. Somebody kind of from the conservative side, Republican side, and somebody from the Democratic side. Honestly, I'd love to have all three of us at the table together and just kind of go back and forth and hear what they had to say.
That They've probably had enough of that in their own city council meetings over the years, but but it'd be fun to, you know, when they're not right in the thick of the fire, it'd be fun to just kind of chat.
Dayvid: Well, let me ask you this then. Who's your favorite Las Vegas politician? Of all time. Living or dead.
Lynn: oh, my favorite Las Vegas politician of all times? Wow, you're, oh, that's a hard one. I don't know if I can just name one. You're, you're asking
Dayvid: What name came to mind first?
Lynn: um, honestly, um, Mary Beth Scowl. I
Dayvid: Marybeth, who was a long time county commissioner.
Lynn: Yeah, I like
Dayvid: And why, why Marybeth?
Lynn: I, I kind of see a lot of things, not everything the same way Mary Beth does, but I see a lot of things the same way she does and, and I just appreciated some of the things she tried to do.
Bruce Woodbury is another one that I, I really like too.
Dayvid: Sure, Bruce Woodbury, another County Commissioner. Uh, long time. Very involved in the community. All right,
Lynn Baird, candidate for mayor, thanks so much for joining us here on CityCastLasVegas.
Lynn: Thanks so much, David, for having me on. I really appreciate it. It's been a privilege and an honor to speak with you.
Dayvid: And that's all for today here on CityCastLasVegas. Hope you're enjoying our mayoral Mondays and all the bonuses in between. If you are enjoying the show, well, go tell a friend. Share these podcasts, rate the show, leave us a review, and subscribe to our morning newsletter. We'll be back next week. On Monday morning, with more news from around the city.
Till then, stay lucky.
