Meet the candidates

HENDERSON MAYOR

Amanda Cyphers Andy Hafen Steve Kirk Michael Mayberry Richard Charles Sipan Advertisement

Amanda Cyphers

Former City Council member

Amanda Cyphers ran a medical auditing business before selling it to be a full-time councilwoman in 1995. She sat on the Henderson City Council until 2007. If elected, she said she would be a full-time mayor.

While serving as a councilwoman, Cyphers spearheaded the creation of the Rural Neighborhood Overlay, a zoning overlay to protect rural property from overdevelopment, and Rebuild Henderson, a program that reduces local energy costs and the Neighborhood Services Department's focus on neighborhood assistance and community support.

The Henderson Community Foundation presented her with an Outstanding Citizen Award in 2005. She was a recipient of the Republican Women of Henderson's Mother Award in 2000 and Clark County Community College of Southern Nevada's Outstanding Student of the Year in 1997.

Cyphers, 41, is a native Las Vegan and has been a Henderson resident since 1990. She and her husband, Michael, have a son, Colin, 9.

For more on Cyphers, visit amandacyphers.com.

Andy Hafen

Ward 2 City Council member

Andy Hafen, a Henderson native, first was elected to the Henderson City Council in 1987. He was elected to a sixth term in April 2007. Hafen represents Ward 2 full time. He is a retiree of the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department.

Hafen is a board member of the Henderson Development Association, a division of the Henderson Chamber of Commerce, and was named 2006 Public Official of the Year by Nevada League of Cities and Municipalities.

Hafen serves as the council liaison to the Henderson Planning Commission and the Henderson Convention Center and Visitors Bureau Board of Directors. He also serves on the Clark County Regional Flood Control District and the Clark County Debt Management Commission.

Hafen, 54, and his wife, Debi, have been married for 35 years. They have six children and seven grandchildren with one more on the way.

For more information on Hafen, visit www.andyhafen.com

Steve Kirk

Ward 4 City Council member

Steve Kirk was elected to the Henderson City Council in May 1999 and re-elected for his third term in 2007, representing Ward 4.

The Henderson native serves as vice chairman of the Southern Nevada Health District Board of Directors, is a member of the Clark County School District Oversight Board of Trustees and the Southern Nevada Water Authority Board of Directors.

He also serves on the board of directors for SAFE House, an organization committed to strengthening families by working to stop abuse in the family environment.

In addition, he serves on the Henderson Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors, the Clean Water Coalition and the Henderson Redevelopment Agency.

Kirk, 50, is the director of acquisitions for RMI Investment Services. He is a graduate of Basic High School and Brigham Young University. Kirk and his wife, Amy, have five children and one grandchild.

To find out more about Kirk, visit www.kirk4mayor.com.

Michael Mayberry

Former Henderson police chief

Michael Mayberry, former Henderson police chief, retired four years ago after 29 years of with the police department.

During his career, the department added a SWAT team, expanded its Community Policing program and received international accreditation from the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies.

Mayberry, a local native, graduated from Bishop Gorman High School and has a Bachelor of Arts degree in Criminal Justice from UNLV. He is a graduate of the FBI National Academy and the Law Enforcement Executive Development Seminar in Quantico, Va.

Mayberry, 56, has served on numerous community and statewide boards, including Big Brothers Big Sisters and the Henderson Police Athletic League. He also served as chairman of the Law Enforcement Coordinating Committee and the High-Intensity Drug Trafficking Area Program.

Richard Charles Sipan

Henderson attorney

Richard Charles Sipan is an attorney practicing personal injury and collections law with Muije & Varricchio in Las Vegas. The 48-year-old has run for district court judge and justice of the peace in Henderson.

He has a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of California, Berkeley, and his law degree is from the University of San Diego School of Law.

Sipan did not return calls for more information.

For more on Sipan, e-mail lauriethomas_378@msn.com.