Complaint seeks transparency on Henderson officials’ consulting work | Politics and Government

A Henderson man who ran unsuccessfully for mayor this year is calling for more transparency about consulting relationships involving the mayor and other City Council members that he says have led them to recuse themselves from votes on local matters.

Adam Price, president of the Henderson Democratic Club, filed a complaint against Mayor Michelle Romero to the Nevada Commission on Ethics on Aug. 3.

“If members of Henderson City Council, including Michelle Romero and others, have formed LLCs and have recused themselves from voting on matters because they have stated they ‘consulted on this project,’ then it is reasonable for the public to ask for greater transparency,” the complaint states.

For her part, Romero said she is careful to abstain from voting on issues that could be perceived as a conflict of interest.

Price, in a phone interview, said he doesn’t think that any City Council member should “have a business that is doing business with any developer that comes before the city,” adding that it’s a “huge conflict of interest.”

“I think it is in the best interest of Henderson residents to know exactly how much they were paid and what exactly they consulted on,” he added.

On Aug. 8, Price posted about his complaint on Facebook and attached financial disclosure forms from Romero, as well as Councilmen Jim Seebock and Dan Stewart, who each list financial interests in businesses beyond their role as a council member.

Romero, who is seeking her second term as mayor, responded to the post, accusing Price of defaming her.

“I had a sole proprietorship with one client, Union Village, for several years; however, I haven’t worked for them in nearly two years because my work was complete,” Romero wrote. “I canceled my business license and let my state license expire. Your continued slander and attempts to defame of (sic) my character will not be tolerated.”

Price finished third behind Romero and ex-Henderson Police Department Chief Hollie Chadwick during this year’s nonpartisan mayoral primary and has since endorsed Chadwick, who is the only challenger to Romero to advance to the Nov. 10 general election.

Romero: Consulting gig ‘extremely sporadic’

Responding to emailed questions seeking why Romero continued her work with Union Village after becoming an elected official, the mayor told the Las Vegas Review-Journal her work largely centered around ensuring the development was following necessary requirements and regulations.

Union Village is a master-planned community near Galleria Drive and Interstate 11 that, according to its website, offers a “promenade” of retail, entertainment and restaurant options, residential space and a “world-class” healthcare complex.

“My work for Union Village was extremely sporadic, and only involved ensuring they complied with all requirements in the agreements that were involved in the project,” Romero said in an Aug. 18 email. “I appropriately abstained from any items that came before council related to this project and was walled off from any staff discussion regarding union village.”

Price is not the first person to raise concerns over the use of consulting companies by Henderson officials.

Councilwoman Carrie Cox told Metropolitan Police Department detectives in June 2025 that she and other council members were told — by an entity whose name was redacted from a transcript — that if they set up consulting companies, they would receive business from people who had pending matters before the City Council.

Cox, who is accused of illegally recording a private conversation involving Councilwoman Monica Larson and others, has repeatedly denied wrongdoing in that case. A trial is scheduled to begin in District Court in October.

“There is a lot of corruption,” Cox told detectives, according to a transcript.

Years of disclosures

Romero’s business, Michelle Romero Consulting, was formed in 2016 and expired Feb. 28, according to Nevada secretary of state records. Before being elected mayor in 2022, Romero was the manager of the Henderson Redevelopment Agency from 2007 until 2016 and was first elected to the Henderson City Council in 2019, according to the city’s website.

While Romero’s campaign says the scope of her work with Union Village has concluded, as recently as the Jan. 6 Henderson City Council meeting, where officials adopted the fourth amendment to the Park Agreement for the Union Village development, Romero disclosed having a conflict of interest and abstained from voting on the agenda item.

Before Romero joined the City Council, she testified at a Feb. 19, 2019, City Council meeting on Union Village’s behalf on a presentation to extend a deadline on the development’s Park Agreement. Since joining the council, Romero has disclosed her consulting relationship with Union Village and has abstained from voting on matters related to the development at least 11 times, a Review-Journal review of Henderson City Council meetings, agendas and minutes found.

In 2023, Romero voted to approve a business license for a massage business operating in the Union Village development, and in 2025, she voted to approve a restricted gaming and liquor license for a tavern in the development, according to city records.

The mayor also frequently discloses an ongoing conflict and abstains from voting on matters related to Las Vegas Paving Corp., which employs her husband and son.

Cox said in a text message on Friday that repeated recusals negatively impact constituents.

“As elected leaders, our responsibility is to vote on behalf of the people,” Cox said. “When a leader cannot cast a vote they fail to speak for the taxpayers who might oppose or support the agenda item.”

Boyd Law School associate dean Benjamin Edwards said the state’s ethics laws are designed to encourage public officials to disclose matters that could hinder their judgement.

“If someone had a conflict because of some work they had done, either while they were a public official or before they were a public official, and they disclosed that they had a conflict and they were going to abstain from participating or voting on a matter, that is a good thing,” Edwards said.

Other business dealings

Seebock formed Bock Consulting Ltd. in 2024 but the company has since dissolved, according to secretary of state records. Seebock’s financial disclosure form also lists him as having a financial interest in Feelz Inc., which he described during an August phone interview as a technology side business of his that has no involvement with City Council affairs.

Seebock, a 30-year veteran of the Metropolitan Police Department, said his consulting company was set up in order to provide security training and consulting for one client, but was never hired. Seebock said Bock Consulting closed in January of this year.

“I no longer have it,” Seebock said. “And I didn’t pursue any other work related to it because I stayed focused on City Council business.”

Councilman Dan Stewart did not respond to multiple requests for comment, but reported having several business interests, including Valley Construction Company, Nevada Rock and Sand Co., DM Stewart Investments LLC and others. The city’s website states Stewart is the president of Valley Construction as well as the vice president of development for Gardner Company, which helped develop the UNLV Harry Reid Research and Technology Park.

Councilwoman Monica Larson does not list any business interests on her financial disclosure form. She did not respond to requests for comment.

Cox has served on the board of Lutheran Social Services of Nevada, a nonprofit whose operations were suspended in October amid financial turmoil and allegations of mismanagement, according to previous Review-Journal reporting. Cox’s financial disclosure form also reported income from a child care business.

City: No rules on outside employment for mayor, council members

Edwards, the UNLV dean, said the Henderson City Council serves part-time and that it is not unusual for council members to work closely with the private sector in their private capacity.

The city of Henderson Ethics Code requires that full-time employees must receive approval from their department director and human resources in order to seek outside employment. The city does not have a policy that governs outside employment for the mayor or council members, a city spokesperson said in an email.

According to Price, disclosures and recusals are not good enough to ensure public officials are acting transparently.

“Those council members still have influence over the other council members to pass a vote in their favor,” regardless if they recuse themselves, Price said.

It is unclear whether the Nevada Commission on Ethics will advance Price’s complaint.

But regardless of where it goes, Price vowed to effect change by pushing for greater disclosure requirements — at either the state or federal level.

“I’m talking to two congresswomen about putting some sort of legislative action forward to make sure this isn’t going on in Las Vegas and North Las Vegas and Henderson,” Price said.

Contact Casey Harrison at charrison@reviewjournal.com. Follow @Casey_Harrison1 on X.