Shelley Berkley | |
|---|---|
 Official portrait, 2012 | |
| 23rdMayor of Las Vegas | |
| Assumed office December 4, 2024 | |
| Preceded by | Carolyn Goodman |
| Member of theU.S. House of Representatives fromNevada's1st district | |
| In office January 3, 1999 – January 3, 2013 | |
| Preceded by | John Ensign |
| Succeeded by | Dina Titus |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Rochelle Levine (1951-01-20)January 20, 1951 (age 74) New York City,New York, U.S. |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 2 |
| Education | University of Nevada, Las Vegas (BA) University of San Diego (JD) |
Shelley Berkley (néeRochelle Levine; born January 20, 1951) is an American businesswoman, politician and attorney who has served asmayor ofLas Vegas since 2024.[1] A member of theDemocratic Party, she was a member of theUnited States House of Representatives representingNevada's 1st congressional district for six terms from 1999 until 2013.[2]
Previously, Berkley served as member ofNevada Assembly from 1983 to 1985 and as a member of the Board of Regents of theNevada System of Higher Education from 1990 to 1998.[2]
Between serving in Congress and being elected mayor of Las Vegas, Berkley held leadership roles at boththe Nevada campus andthe California campus of theTouro University System.[2]
Rochelle Levine was born in New York City on January 20, 1951, the daughter of Estelle (née Colonomos – seeKalonymus) and George Levine. Her paternal grandparents were Russian Jews and her mother's family wereSephardic Jews fromOttoman-eraThessaloniki, now inMacedonia,northern Greece.[3]
Berkley moved with her family toLas Vegas, Nevada in 1964[4] when she was a junior high school student, attending Fremont Junior High and Valley High School. After completing high school, she became the first member of her family to attend college when she enrolled as an undergraduate at theUniversity of Nevada, Las Vegas.[2] She became a member ofDelta Zeta sorority. Elected student body president of theConsolidated Students of the University of Nevada, Las Vegas her senior year, Shelley graduated with honors in 1972, earning a B.A. in political science.[2]
After obtaining herJ.D. degree in 1976 from theUniversity of San Diego School of Law, Shelley returned to Las Vegas and began her professional career.[2] Berkley practiced law for several years, mainly as a member of the legal counsel for several Las Vegas casinos. She also served as the national director for the American Hotel-Motel Association.
Berkley served in theNevada Assembly from 1982 to 1984 and was involved in civic affairs locally.[5]
Berkley served on theNevada System of Higher Education Board of Regents from 1990 to 1998. During her tenure, she was appointed to serve as the board's vice chair.[2]
In the 1990s, Berkley was privately employed byLas Vegas Sands as a government affairs advisor. In 1996 and 1997, during the construction ofThe Venetian, Berkley advised this employer to make campaign contributions to twoClark County commissioners and two Clark County judges to secure their approval for the new hotel.[6] She advised her employer that they would benefit from making campaign contributions to the two judges because those judges "tend to help those who helped them."[7] She also briefed her employer that they had the option of currying political favor by hiring an uncle of County CommissionerErin Kenny and to grant a daiquiri concession to commission chairwoman Yvonne Atkinson Gates.[6]
Berkley representedNevada's 1st congressional district from 1999 to 2013, serving seven terms as a member of the U.S. House of Representatives.[2] The district represented most of the city ofLas Vegas as well as theLas Vegas Strip and the city ofNorth Las Vegas. She was the second woman elected to Congress from Nevada (after onlyBarbara Vucanovich), the first to do so as a Democratic Party nominee, as well as the first woman elected to represent the 1st district.[citation needed]
In Congress, Berkley was a member of theNew Democrat Coalition.[8] She views her top priorities as affordable health care coverage for all Americans, veteran's rights and alternative energy.[9] Berkley is also strongly opposed to the building of anuclear waste repository inYucca Mountain, Nevada.[10]
In 1996, U.S. CongressmanJohn Ensign won re-election inNevada's 1st congressional district with 50.1% of the vote, a 6.6% margin over Bob Coffin, the Democratic candidate.[11] The day after, Berkley filed papers to run in the district. She raised $206,000 in the first six months and $410,000 in the next six months. Berkley was Democrats' dream candidate,[12] as she easily won the primary with 81.5% of the vote.[13] Ensign decided to retire in order to run against U.S. SenatorHarry Reid in the very close and competitive1998 senate election. In the general election, she defeated RepublicanDon Chairez, aDistrict Court Judge inClark County[14] with 49.2% of the vote.[15]
In 2000, she won re-election with 51.7% against State SenatorJon Porter.[16] In 2002, she defeated RepublicanLas Vegas City CouncilwomanLynette Boggs with 53.7%.[17]
Berkley announced in June 2012 that she would turn over all $11,900 in campaign contributions from indicted lobbyistHarvey Whittemore to theU.S. Treasury. Whittemore was charged with violating campaign finance laws and misleading law enforcement. Before pledging to give up the contributions from Whittemore, Berkley had said that she was holding his contributions in escrow while awaiting the outcome of the investigation against him.[18]
As a 6th term congresswoman, Berkley was endorsed by a number ofadvocacy groups. The themes of some groups endorsing Berkley included education, environmental protections, and gender equality in politics. Berkley received endorsements from groups such as TheNational Education Association, TheSierra Club and TheNational Women's Political Caucus.[19]
In 2011, Berkley voted for theNational Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2012 as part of a controversial provision that allows the government and the military to indefinitely detain American citizens and others without trial.[20]
Berkley was given various scores from a variety of advocacy groups dedicated to various topics (ranging fromabortion issues,agriculture,criminal issues,animal rights,budget andtaxes andforeign aid).NARAL Pro-Choice America gave Berkley a 100% in 2010, while theNational Right to Life Committee gave her a 0% rating.[21][22] TheAmerican Farm Bureau Federation gave Berkley a 33% rating in 2010 the topic of agriculture, while the National Farm Workers Union gave Berkley a 100% rating. Other interest groups Berkley has received High ratings fromCitizens United for Rehabilitation of Errants, andDefenders of Wildlife Fund. Groups that Berkley has received poor ratings from include theNational Taxpayers Union andPeace Action.[23]
On October 3, 2008, Berkley voted for theEmergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008, which created theTroubled Asset Relief Program (TARP) that bailed outWall Street banks.[24][25] On June 26, 2009, Berkley voted for theAmerican Clean Energy and Security Act, which would have implemented a cap-and-trade system similar to the regulations proposed by the Reagan administration[26] in the 1980s, then known as "emissions trading."[27] Berkley voted for thePatient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010.[28][29][30]
Berkley is a supporter ofIsrael and is a member of the pro-Israel groupAmerican Israel Public Affairs Committee.[31] On October 10, 2002, Berkley was among the 81 House Democrats who voted in favor of authorizing theinvasion of Iraq.[32]
On September 5, 2011, aNew York Times exposé detailed the actions that Berkley took as a member of Congress that she and her husband financially benefited from.[33] TheTimes noted that, "Ms. Berkley's actions were among a series over the last five years in which she pushed legislation or twisted the arms of federal regulators to pursue an agenda that is aligned with the business interests of her husband, Dr. Larry Lehrner."
On September 19, 2011, the ethics watchdogCitizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) released their annualMost Corrupt Members of Congress report.[34] The report listed Berkley in the "Dishonorable Mention" category.[35][36] Berkley was named in CREW'sMost Corrupt Members of Congress report for the second year in a row in 2012.[37]
On July 9, 2012, theUnited States House Committee on Ethics voted unanimously to form an investigative subcommittee to see whether Berkley used her official position to advocate for policy that benefited her family's financial situation.[38] More specifically, Berkley is accused of pushing healthcare legislation that would benefit her husband's medical practice. Berkley was also blamed for her efforts to block the closure of a kidney transplant center where her husband was employed.[39]
Berkley announced that she would run for theUnited States Senate in April 2011 to succeedJohn Ensign, who resigned amidst an ethics scandal.[40] She secured the Democratic nomination in the June primary and faced incumbent gubernatorial-appointed senatorDean Heller in the November general election.[41]She narrowly lost the election to Heller 46% to 45%.[42]
By July 2012, Berkley had raised $4 million in contributions for her campaign to unseat the Heller, while Heller had raised $4.4 million.[43]
In 2014, Berkley was hired as CEO and senior provost for boththe Nevada campus andthe California campus of theTouro University System. She was later promoted to senior vice president of these two campuses.[44] She retired from her positions in 2023 after launching her candidacy in the2024 Las Vegas mayoral election.[45]
Berkley ran formayor of Las Vegas in2024. She announced her plans to run for the office in January 2023.[46] Berkley placed first in the initial round of thenonpartsian election (held in June 2024), receiving 35.7% of the vote. City CouncilmemberVictoria Seaman received 28.9% City councilmemberCedric Crear received 18.9%, with the remaining 6.45% of the vote being split between eleven other candidates.[47] Since no candidate received a majority, a runoff was held in which Berkley faced Seaman (a Republican who was an incumbent member of theLas Vegas City Council and a former one-term Nevada Assembly member[48]). Berkley won the November runoff,[49] receiving 53.2% of the vote.[50] She was sworn-in as mayor on December 4.[4]
In March 1999, Berkley married Lawrence Lehrner, a practicingnephrologist in Las Vegas.[51] Both Berkley and Lehrner have two children from prior marriages.[51] Lehrner seldom campaigns with Berkley. Berkley has said says about her husband, "He works about 12 hours a day, seven days a week. I call him a doctor's doctor." Lehrner's medical practice has received attention during the campaign due to the House Ethics Committee's investigation into Berkley's efforts to save a kidney transplant center in which her husband has a financial interest. Laura Meyers of theLas Vegas Review-Journal wrote, "Having Lehrner on the campaign trail with Berkley could remind voters of the ethics investigation—expose him to uncomfortable questions."[52]
| U.S. House of Representatives | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Member of theU.S. House of Representatives fromNevada's 1st congressional district 1999–2013 | Succeeded by |
| Party political offices | ||
| Preceded by | Democratic nominee forU.S. Senator fromNevada (Class 1) 2012 | Succeeded by |
| Political offices | ||
| Preceded by | Mayor of Las Vegas 2024–present | Incumbent |
| U.S. order of precedence (ceremonial) | ||
| Preceded byas Former U.S. Representative | Order of precedence of the United States as Former U.S. Representative | Succeeded byas Former U.S. Representative |
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| One at-large seat (1864–1983) |
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| Districts (1983–present) (3rd district established in 2003) (4th district established in 2013) |
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| International | |
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| National | |
| People | |
| Other | |
