Jan Jones Blackhurst | |
|---|---|
| 20thMayor of Las Vegas | |
| In office July 1991 – June 8, 1999 | |
| Preceded by | Ron Lurie |
| Succeeded by | Oscar Goodman |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Janis Lyle Laverty (1949-03-16)March 16, 1949 (age 76) Los Angeles,California, U.S. |
| Party | Democratic |
| Spouse(s) | Fletcher Jones (divorced) |
| Education | Stanford University (BA) |
Jan Jones Blackhurst (néeLaverty; March 16, 1949) is an American businesswoman and politician who served as the 20th mayor ofLas Vegas,Nevada from 1991 until 1999. She was first woman to serve as mayor of Las Vegas. Jones Blackhurst is a member of theDemocratic Party.
Janis Lyle Laverty was born in Los Angeles, California, raised inSanta Monica, and graduated fromStanford University in 1971 with abachelor's degree in English.[1] She became a recognized figure in Las Vegas in the 1980s, appearing as a spokeswoman in television commercials for her family's supermarket chain,Thriftimart, and later a car dealership owned by her then-husband, Fletcher Jones Jr.[2]
In 1990, Jones Blackhurst, known then as Jan Jones, ran for mayor of thecity of Las Vegas. She was elected in1991 and later re-elected in1995, serving two four-year terms. During her time in office, Las Vegas' population grew significantly and Jones Blackhurst was credited for making the city "more livable" and directing attention towards social issues such ashomelessness andLGBT rights.[3][4]
She oversaw the redevelopment of theFremont Street area, which opened as the currentFremont Street Experience in 1995.[4]
While mayor, Jones Blackhurst ran for Nevada governor twice, losing significantly in the 1994 Democraticprimary to then-incumbent Bob Miller. After gaining the Democratic nomination in 1998, she was defeated in thegeneral election byKenny Guinn, the Republican nominee. In 1999, she chose not to run for a third term as mayor.[3]
After her mayorship, Jones Blackhurst joinedCaesars Entertainment, later serving as executive vice president.[4] In 2007, she was quoted by the British newspaper,The Observer, as sayingCeline Dion's husband and manager,Rene Angelil, gambled up to $1 million per week. She later retracted her comments and apologized.[5]
Jones Blackhurst sits on the board of directors of several organizations including Caesars, theLas Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority,[6] and the Las Vegas Stadium Authority, which ownsAllegiant Stadium.[7]
She is currently the executive director of the Black Fire Leadership Initiative at theUniversity of Nevada, Las Vegas.[8]
Jones Blackhurst is married to Dana Blackhurst, her third husband. They married in 2004 and she added Blackhurst to her surname.[9] Jones Blackhurst has six children.[9]
Dana Blackhurst is an education advocate for learning disabilities who has headed several schools over the years, including at The Chandler School (which he founded) and Camperdown Academy inGreenville, South Carolina and Pine Ridge School inWilliston, Vermont.[10]
They live near in the master-planned community ofSummerlin in the city of Las Vegas.[11]
In 2017, the newly-built Jones Blackhurst Elementary school was named after her by theClark County School District near theMountain's Edge neighborhood of unincorporatedEnterprise.[12]
{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)| Political offices | ||
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| Preceded by | Mayor of Las Vegas 1991–1999 | Succeeded by |
| Party political offices | ||
| Preceded by | Democratic nominee forGovernor of Nevada 1998 | Succeeded by |
| International | |
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| National | |
