Kola Akingbade For
Mayor 2024
OFFSET THE OFFSEASON!
It’s normal and customary for certain aspects of our economy to become more lucrative at certain times, while some take a downturn. This downturn or slowdown is called their OFFSEASON. This is expected, and plans are made to get through this OFFSEASON without going under, without catastrophic loss, and with a quick recovery. However, the OFFSEASON in Las Vegas is EXTREME and has a devastating effect on our #1 industry, TOURISM.
Yearly, Las Vegas experiences an OFFSEASON.
In the middle of summer, while the the world’s tourism is at its peak, Las Vegas, the world’s TOP tourist destination, and the number one entertainment capital of the world is experiencing an OFFSEASON, possibly because of the extreme heat; nevertheless, we know from June- August, and from November through February, we will experience another OFFSEASON. Whenever inflation strikes, during and AFTER any world financial or economic meltdown, during and AFTER a pandemic, the Las Vegas economy ALWAYS experiences more suffering than most other cities in the nation. Usually, this affects our middle and lower-class
Las Vegas economy has become almost seasonal and unpredictable.
This is unacceptable. We must know what tomorrow brings in terms of our economic stability. We must be able to calculate how much wealth our city and our businesses will consistently generate in all 52 weeks, and all 12 months of the year.
We Must Offset the OFFSEASON.
To OFFSET the OFFSEASON in Las Vegas will take a massive economic re-birth!
Our sole dominant industry is GAMING, and we’re King of the gaming industry; but doesn’t our entertainment industry play a large part in supporting gaming? Certainly, it does.
However, let’s look at Movies / Television / Music: Mark Wahlberg
Currently in Las Vegas, we RENT Stars, we don’t MAKE Stars. To correct this, we will work with Mark Wahlberg and other credible entertainment industry professionals and bring in Hollywood caliber Movie, Television and Music recording studios!!
Just imagine Hollywood bigger and brighter in Vegas and all that money that will be generated.
Legalized Prostitution in Las Vegas
With the relentless rise in housing costs and homelessness in Las Vegas, with more and more homeless families with children, Veterans and individuals with mental health issues living on the street without the proper infrastructure and resources needed to tackle the crisis, the city of Las Vegas must make a BOLD move to generate NEW FUNDING
We have three (3) options.
1, We can tax the Resorts and Casinos.
2, We can tax the working-class individuals.
3, The city can swoop in and swoop up all the money it has left on the table for too long.
I have chosen the third option. The city of Las Vegas can no longer afford to leave new money on the table. Just like we legalize cannabis, we can legalize prostitution.
As the Mayor, I would LEGALIZE PROSTITUTION in Las Vegas.
Ten (10) counties in Nevada allow legal sex work. Individual counties can create their own rules. State law requires it be regulated so we will regulate it. Sex workers are defined as independent contractors. They pay taxes and there will be mandatory weekly STD testing.
Benefits include:
1, Mandatory use of condoms. Clients want to know their partners are clean.
2, A vast reduction of STI, STD transmission.
3, Cut down on sexual violence and give the people what they want.
4, A potential 100 million Dollars in annual new revenue.
Affordable Housing
RENT CONTROL
Affordable housing is directly related to homelessness. We cannot separate the two: they run parallel. People cannot afford the high rents, especially in the OFF SEASON. No one can go through life working two to three jobs just to be able to afford a housing unit. This is not sustainable. People must be able to rent or purchase a home by working just one job.
The moving cost in Las Vegas is typically 300% of the rent which is excessive; we can help with that. However, it is not the biggest problem. The biggest issue is to continue to pay rent once they are in the home, but we cannot help with the rent going up every year.
The answer is RENT CONTROL.
A substantial number of employers are not hiring on a full-time basis. Our residents are working on several part-time jobs just to pay the rent or meet housing costs. A big contributor to this is the OFF SEASON. When everything slows down in Las Vegas, employers do not want to pay unemployment or medical insurance. Therefore, workers are reduced to part-time.
The issue of affordable housing in Las Vegas requires effort in a combination of areas. First, we will join with the HUD administration to accelerate the Section 8 process. The waiting list is far too long, some people wait over a year just to get their names on the list of candidates. Once this happens, it can take yet another year to get vetted, and placed on a list of hundreds. This creates a backlog which adds to our numbers of homeless residents in our city.
Next, an incentive program will be developed to encourage more landlords to fit the Section 8 criterion. Also, we will move to mandate that all contractors of newly built apartment complexes be required to reserve 5% of the constructed units for low-income families. We will encourage builders to construct homes for low-income buyers.
Then, let’s educate homebuyers so that they are knowledgeable regarding ways to purchase homes with little or no money down. We will educate them about buying equity, and what makes a good real estate purchase vs a bad one.
As Mayor, I will make sure that most of our citizens will be employed full-time, earning decent wages so they may earn enough to meet expenses working only one job. We will bring in industries with higher paying jobs that are not affected by the OFFSEASON. Most importantly, we will work with the landlords, and I will DELIVER RENT CONTROL TO ALL OF LAS VEGAS.
This will cause a major decrease in the homeless population.
IMPROVED TRANSPORTATION
Transportation in Las Vegas is in much need of improvement. The underserved communities suffer most, because of inaccessibility to much-needed resources. We will work to improve the system, giving this issue a top priority.
SPORTS
We’re doing great in sports. An NBA, and a Baseball team will bring in more high paying jobs and more revenue for the city. It will happen.
Internship: Employer/Employee Based Internship Program
Students in Las Vegas can receive work permits at the age of 16. These students are generally juniors in high school. I will work with our resorts and hotels to provide internships for the children of employees in the students of employees in areas of their interest during their junior year and continuing throughout their senior year. Hotels are microcosms of industries and can give students the opportunity to work in hotel/motel management, technology, financial management, and a plethora of trades, just to name a few. When such a program is offered to children of employees who have been with these resorts and hotels for five or more years, and the children meet satisfactory criterion, think of the job stability and the number of students this program could save from the streets. Not one job needs to be in the Casino. There are so many positions that have nothing to do with gaming! Instead of “taking to the streets” these young people would now see that they could have good-paying jobs once they graduate, in an industry they know and have received. The Internship Program has yet another component: the awarding of partial scholarships to these same students. Many of the parents of the interns can see no way of sending these children to college. But now, they can see a way! These families are YOUR families. You have been feeding them, paying rents and mortgages for them. You have invested large dollars in these families. Can you see a tax break coming with such a program? Of course you can. We can make this happen. Just think of the benefits to you as the employer, to your employees, and the future, placed in the hands of loyal employees in perpetuity!
Technology
We will bring technology businesses to Las Vegas. These are high paying jobs. Why should Silicone Valley take our brightest and best students?
Diversified Economy/Theme Park/Water Park
We must create a Robust, Sustainable, and Diversified Economy. We must build off strip businesses and attract cooperate headquarters which will bring in higher paying jobs. Also, we must ATTRACT more Visitors to our city. We could start by brining t the following: Theme Park/Water Park: Six Flags Magic Mountain, Disney Vegas will definitely compete with Orlando and Los Angeles. Make the theme park areas a non-gambling area. Typically, when families with young children visit our city, they leave their children at home because Las Vegas is not kids ready, and not kids friendly. These families usually take a separate vacation with their kids, going to Disney World, Bush Garden in Orlando, Disney Land, Knots Berry Farm and even Six Flags Magic Mountain in Los Angeles. Diversified Economy will bring endless revenue to the City of Las Vegas. It will strengthen the cash flow and finances of the elite, the casinos, and the employers. The middle class will get real fat and the working class, the little people and their families will get a fresh start at life being given great opportunities to build legacies. Prosperity will find those who wants to work hard. All this will maker Las Vegas stronger; we will be known as a land of opportunity, a land that flows with milk and honey, yes, in this desert we will hold our undeniable position as the entertainment capital of the world.
LET'S OFFSET THE OFF SEASON
LGBTQ COMMUNITY
All citizens of the Silver City deserve and will get the Golden treatment. ALL CITIZENS.