Henderson sees leadership change

Mary Kay Peck takes over as city manager

The newly appointed Henderson city manager's voice filled the room as she warmly said "good morning" to co-workers while heading to her office.

It's hard to believe Mary Kay Peck was shy as a kid living in Chicago and Southern California.

Peck said it wasn't until the summer before her senior year in high school when her family moved to a small town in Indiana that she came out of her shell.

"I didn't even date before then," she said. "I was the new girl in town from California. They thought I was everything I didn't think I was."

Peck has spent her life building on that positive experience, and now she is overseeing the city's $221.4 million budget and 1,879 full-time employees.

She was recommended for the position by former City Manager Phil Speight, whom she replaced on Oct. 18. Speight left Henderson after nearly 20 years as city manager to become chief of staff to Rep. Jon Porter, R-Nev., in Washington, D.C.

The city manager's office oversees general administration and provides support to the City Council and city departments. This includes carrying out the council's policies, preparing the city budget, directing the city's daily operations, coordinating departments and informing the council.

"We each saw in her the commitment that made her successful," Mayor Jim Gibson said. "She is highly regarded among leaders of Nevada and across the country."

Peck said she found out about city planning as a career while she was in college, and she knew right away it was what she wanted to do.

"Working for the government is in my family," Peck said. Her great uncle was an assistant city manager, and her grandmother worked for Chicago.

Peck has a master's degree in urban planning from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, and a bachelor's degree in urban affairs from the University of Evansville in Indiana.

After five years working with Chicago's planning department dealing with suburbs and historic preservation, Peck moved to Montana with her husband. She spent 13 years there and was a planning director while raising a son.

Peck moved to Henderson in 1995 and began working for the city as its zoning administrator.

"This was just a great opportunity," she said. "It's one of those things where I didn't realize how lucky I was. Henderson is pro-growth and pro-good development. As a planner, that was heaven."

She also served as the city's director of community development before becoming the assistant city manager in 2005.

Peck was elected president of the American Planning Association, which she said took her around the world representing Henderson. She said it was a great leadership experience and is excited to bring that to her new job.

Peck said the city runs very smoothly, so she has been brought in not to shake things up, but to continue what Speight was doing.

"What's left for me to do is to keep building," she said.

Peck said she's living her future right now.

"In terms of local government, this is the top. This is the best," she said.

Gibson said it might take a while for Peck's style to come through, but he is sure "Mary Kay will leave her own fingerprint on the organization."