Editing Henderson, Nevada (section)

== Government ==

The city received its charter from the [[Nevada State Legislature]] in 1953, formally incorporating the city with a council/manager form of government.

Henderson is divided into four wards. A mayor and four council members are elected citywide, but no more than one council member are allowed to reside in each ward.

[[Lorna Kesterson]] was elected as Henderson's first female mayor, serving two terms until 1993.<ref name="lvrj">{{cite news|first=Doug|last=McMurdo|title=Former Henderson mayor Lorna Kesterson dies at 86 |url=http://www.lvrj.com/news/former-henderson-mayor-lorna-kesterson-dies-at-86-137520798.html |work=[[Las Vegas Review-Journal]] |date=January 17, 2012 |access-date=January 20, 2012}}</ref><ref name="hp">{{cite news|first=Carla J. |last=Zvosec |title=City's first and only female mayor dies at age 86 |url=http://www.hendersonpress.com/local-news/item/883-city%E2%80%99s-first-and-only-female-mayor-dies-at-age-86 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130103080133/http://www.hendersonpress.com/local-news/item/883-city%E2%80%99s-first-and-only-female-mayor-dies-at-age-86 |url-status=dead |archive-date=January 3, 2013 |work=Henderson Press}}</ref>

{| class=wikitable
! Service
! Mayor
|-
| 1953–1957
| James B. French
|-
| 1957–1965
| William B. Byrne
|-
| 1965–1969
| William R. Hampton
|-
| 1969–1973
| Estes M. McDoniel
|-
| 1973–1975
| Cruz Olague
|-
| 1975
| Richard A. Stewart Sr.
|-
| 1975–1981
| Lorin L. Williams
|-
| 1981–1985
| Leroy Zike
|-
| 1985–1993
| [[Lorna Kesterson|Lorna J. Kesterson]]
|-
| 1993–1997
| Robert A. Groesbeck
|-
| 1997–2009
| [[James B. Gibson]]
|-
| 2009–2017
| Andy Hafen
|-
| 2017–2023
| [[Debra March]]
|-
| 2023–present
| Michelle Romero
|}

=== 2013 Americans with Disabilities Act settlement ===

In 2013, the [[United States Department of Justice|Department of Justice]] (DOJ) announced it had reached a cooperative settlement agreement with the city of Henderson under the [[Americans with Disabilities Act]] (ADA). The DOJ received complaints by individuals who are deaf that officers for the city of Henderson did not provide them with qualified sign language interpreters and other auxiliary aids and services when needed for effective communication. One of the complainants was arrested and detained for two days in the Henderson [[detention facility]], while the other was an alleged [[crime victim]].<ref name="doj-2013">{{cite web|title=Justice Department Reaches Settlement with the City of Henderson, Nev. to Improve Law Enforcement Communications with People Who Are Deaf or Hard of Hearing|url=https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/2013/August/13-crt-881.html|publisher=US Department of Justice|access-date=August 7, 2013|author=Department of Justice Office of Public Affairs|date=August 5, 2013}}</ref><!-- Not the right citation for a press release.. -->

During its investigation into the allegations, the department inquired whether the city of Henderson would be interested in resolving the matter voluntarily. The city expressed its full commitment to ensure compliance with the ADA. Under the settlement, the city of Henderson will pay $35,000 to the complainants. The city agreed to provide [[sign language]] interpreters, usually within an hour of a person's request to law enforcement officers. Henderson also agreed to modify its handcuffing policies for people who use sign language or hand writing to communicate, and to adopt other policies consistent with the ADA.<ref name="doj-2013" /><!-- FInd a secondary source that backs everything up. -->