The City of Las Vegas has published the list of 39 applicants seeking to serve the remainder of Victoria Seaman’s term representing Ward 2 seat on the city council. 

Seaman resigned from the council last month to take a position in President Donald Trump’s administration as a regional Health and Human Services director based in Denver.

The city council announced last week that it would fill Seaman’s position by making an interim appointment at its Sept. 17 meeting rather than holding a special election. In a statement, the council said the decision was a financial one, citing the high cost of holding a special election.

The appointed council member will serve until July or December 2026, depending on results of the primary and the general elections. The council asked applicants to sign a legally nonbinding pledge to not run for a full term on the council if appointed. According to a city press release, the position has an annual salary of $108,900. 

Notable applicants include:

• Pauline Lee, an attorney and the president of the Nevada Republican Club
• Serena Kasama, a lobbyist and the daughter of Assm. Heidi Kasama (R-Las Vegas), who announced plans earlier this month to run for Clark County Commission District F.

• David Gardner, a former assemblymember and special education attorney
• Kristina Wildeveld, an attorney who heads the defense law firm Kristina Wildeveld & Associates 
• Tom Warden, former senior vice president of community and government affairs for The Howard Hughes Co.  
• Kara Kelley, the former CEO of the Las Vegas Chamber of Commerce and current vice chairman of the Colorado River Commission of Nevada
• Richard Travis, president of the news and media production company CoverEdge 
• Craig Galati, a former longtime City of Las Vegas planning commissioner according to his LinkedIn. Galati is currently the principal and shareholder of LGA Architecture 

City officials said holding a special election would cost approximately $467,000 and delay selection of a new council member until a special election could be held on Dec. 16.

During a Sept. 3 meeting on whether to hold an appointment or an election, Councilmember Brian Knudsen, who represents Ward 1, said the cost of holding an election could impact next year’s budget. 

“These council seats are very important to our community. Ward 2 in particular represents over 127,000 people,” Knudsen said. “We’re also aware of fiscal constraints at the city with a number of situations that causes us to be worrisome about next year’s budget.”

The city is expected to pay $286 million to settle several lawsuits with the developer of the Badlands golf course. According to KLAS Las Vegas, the city has had to freeze hiring for 21 positions in order to save money in preparation for the settlement. 

This story was updated at 3:13 p.m. on 9/8/2025 to update Pauline Lee's profession. She is an attorney, not a physician.