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Meet Your Neighbor: Mayor Andy A. Hafen
By Callie Thomas
The numbers say it all. He worked for the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department for 23 years and has served Henderson for over 22. His favorite retreat is a ranch near Caliente that’s been in the family for 7 generations. He’s been married for over 37 years and is the father of 6 children and 9 grandchildren. Mayor Andy Hafen brings a sense of dependability, stability and loyalty to the city of Henderson.
Born in Boulder City, Nevada, Mayor Hafen has lived in the city all of his life (with the exception of just one year.) He began serving the community working as a clerk for the FBI and later served with Metro in the Special Investigations Division where he conducted background investigations on privileged applications. He was elected to the City Council in 1987 representing Ward II and served on the council for 22 years before his election to Mayor in June of last year. During his elected service he has seen Henderson become the second largest city in Nevada, the population grow by over 460% and be named one of the top 20 places in the United States to live by Money Magazine.
As Mayor, Hafen is responsible for setting policies and making decisions concerning many different aspects of local government along with fellow council members. He is steadfast in his commitment to initiating and supporting community programs to help families and local businesses. “It’s the families and the neighborhoods in Henderson that add to our sense of community and the decisions we make as a city council affect those families,” said Hafen.
After his appointment, Hafen began Neighborhood Connection Meetings within each ward. The town-hall style meetings provide each council member one on one interaction with residents within their ward. “We’ve been through our first year and each time we meet we see greater success. About 100 residents attend each session, and we make sure everyone receives an answer to their question.”
Hafen stays active within many city organizations, including the Nevada State College Foundation which supports Henderson’s commitment to education. He and the city team members also support dozens of charities through various activities and fund-raising events. “We also invite Boy Scouts to our council meetings who are trying to achieve their citizenship badge,” he said. “We support the efforts of these youth and hope they might one day serve their community on a board, commission or council.” He is a proud supporter of the APPLE Partnership where the city partners with the Clark County School District, Henderson District Public Libraries and other community organizations to promote literacy. “There is an incentive program that encourages children to log reading hours after school and with their families,” he said. “You should see how a child’s face lights up when he gets an award for logging the most hours.”
Mayor Hafen also hosted this year’s Super Run Classic Car Show in the Water Street District, which honors America’s love for classic automobiles and music. As part of this year’s event, Henderson partnered with the Henderson Chamber of Commerce and became the kick off location for the National 2010 Fireball Run Adventurally and its Race to Recover America’s Missing Children. The race is partnered with the KlaasKids Foundation which has helped recover 32 missing kids in the U.S. by featuring a missing child on their cars and distributing information along the 3,500 mile, 18-city route to raise awareness. “It was an honor to raise the green flag at the National Road Rally to help increase awareness of these missing children.”
Mayor Andy Hafen hopes that by giving back he can pass on all that he and his family have received from the city. “The Henderson community has been so good to me and my family. We have benefitted greatly from living here. It’s a safe community with vast educational opportunities and truly maintains that small town feel.”
