Pop quiz: What does a county clerk do? How about a recorder? And what does an assessor assess? While the races for roles such as governor, state legislator and U.S. senator are well known, smaller municipal offices often get less attention. 

Several candidates for these roles in Clark County told The Nevada Independent that many voters they spoke to either didn't know about the responsibilities of the office — or that they simply didn't care much. However, these meat-and-potato offices fulfill many of the practical, everyday functions of government.

Here's our overview of the downballot races and who's running for them.

Treasurer 

The county treasurer oversees the tax system in Clark County. This entails keeping track of the county's revenue and includes administrative billing, banking and investments. The office also oversees the billing, collecting and distribution of property taxes for private citizens. 

"That's the financials of the county," Mitchell Tracy, the Republican candidate for treasurer said when asked by The Nevada Independent about the importance of the treasurer's office. "That's the people's money." 

Tracy is running against incumbent Treasurer J. Ken Diaz, a Democrat who was elected in 2022. A U.S. Air Force veteran, Diaz is a certified public accountant and has worked in government for more than 20 years and in the treasurer's office since 2016. In a conversation with The Indy, Diaz said he was excited to continue the work he had started as treasurer if re-elected. 

"There's still a lot of stuff I want to do before leaving the department," Diaz said

One of the things he did was continuing an upgrade of the department's 25-year old software system, as well as introducing online payments for residents.

Before joining the government, Diaz worked for the consulting firm Deloitte and Nevada Power Company. He's been endorsed by Culinary Workers Union Local 226, Service Employees International Union (SEIU) Local 1107 and the Las Vegas Police Protective Association, among others. 

Tracy describes himself as an accountant with more than two decades of experience. If elected, he said he will audit the government for "fraud, abuse and waste." This is the second time Tracy and Diaz have been up against each other. Tracy ran for the treasurer position in 2022 and lost by 4.6 percentage points. 

According to his LinkedIn profile, libertarian candidate Tim Ferreira works for NV Energy as a power trader and has experience in software development, power markets and public utilities. His campaign website says he wants "minimum government, maximum freedom." Ferreira and Diaz did not respond to The Independent's request for an interview in time for publication. 

Clerk 

The Clark County Clerk is largely responsible for marriage and business licenses as well as proof of marriage and officiant certifications. 

Elected in 2015, Clerk Lynn Marie Goya, a Democrat, has pushed to keep Las Vegas "the wedding capital of the world" through legislation and local initiatives with the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority. Last year, the Clark County Clerk's office issued more than 70,000 marriage licenses. 

Prior to her time in office, Goya was a journalist and an editor. She has received endorsements from Southern Nevada Building Trades Unions, the Culinary Union, the Vegas Wedding Chamber and Clark County Firefighters Union Local 1908. 

The office is not digitized, and her opponent, Republican Howell Shaw, said he wants to change that. Shaw, a pastor and officiant, said he's been frustrated by the current,  paper-based system. Officiants have to mail marriage certificates into the office or appear in person, which can be cumbersome, Shaw said, adding that "parking is terrible." He thinks the office is ready for some "new blood." 

"[Goya] was the one that created the whole 'Vegas is the wedding capital of the world' branding, so I'll give her kudos for that," Shaw said to The Indy. "But with that said, she's been there for over 11 years now, and I think she's kind of running out of ideas." 

Shaw has also been a conservative activist, tennis coach and industrial designer, according to his LinkedIn profile. He has been endorsed by Lt. Gov. Stavros Anthony (R), as well as Mesquite Conservatives. 

According to his LinkedIn, the libertarian candidate George Stamper works at the Nevada National Security Site and has a background in defense analytics. He is also a graduate of the United States Air Force Academy. Stamper and Goya did not respond to a request for an interview in time for publication. 

Public administrator

The public administrator is responsible for managing the estates of people who have died without leaving a will or heirs that could take responsibility for their assets. 

In Clark County, the public administrator post became the focal point of media attention when former Public Administrator Robert Telles was convicted of murdering Las Vegas Review-Journal reporter Jeff German in 2022. Telles fatally stabbed German at his home after German had written several stories about workplace conditions in Telles' office. 

Democratic candidate Stephanie Itkin-Goodman said she wants to restore trust in the public administrator's office. She currently serves as a deputy attorney general in the Nevada Attorney General's Office. Previously, she worked in private practice and as an assistant district attorney in the New York City metropolitan area. Though she shares a name with former Las Vegas mayors Oscar and Carolyn Goodman, she is not related. 

In an interview with The Nevada Independent, Itkin-Goodman said she's running for the position to help people during difficult moments in their lives. Her father was a deputy city sheriff who served during 9/11 and died in 2021 from injuries related to his service at ground zero. 

"He left without a will, and I've seen firsthand how many issues it could cause that could be lessened by educating the public about estate planning," Itkin-Goodman said. 

Itkin-Goodman has been endorsed by Sheriff Kevin McMahill, SEIU, Southern Nevada Building Trades Unions, the Culinary Union, Teamsters Nevada and the Las Vegas City Employees Association, among others. 

The Republican candidate Michael Murphy is a retired law enforcement officer as well as the former Clark County coroner. Murphy stepped in to serve as the interim director of the public administrator's office after Telles' arrest and conviction. Now he travels around the country to consult on coroner's office issues and teach law enforcement classes. 

In an interview with The Indy, Murphy said the current administrator, Rita Reid, had asked him to run for the post due to his experience at the coroner's office, which works closely with the public administrators, as well as his time as interim director. If elected, Murphy said he wants to modernize the office and provide body cameras for public administration investigators to bring back trust to the post. He also wants to create a program teaching people about basic estate planning, so that people would not be forced to leave their belongings to the state. 

"We did a lot of prevention programs," Murphy said of his time at the coroner's office. "The goal for me was, 'We have plenty of work, let's not create more.' Let's try to prevent as many people coming through the door as possible." 

Murphy has been endorsed by Veterans in Politics, the Nevada Peace Officers Association, Clark County Firefighters Local 1908, Armed Forces Chamber of Commerce as well as several other state and local law enforcement groups. 

Assessor 

The assessor's main duty is determining the value of property in order to find its tax value. The department keeps records of land parcels and real estate and determines tax exemptions or abatements. Democrat Briana Johnson, the current assessor, has been in office since 2019 and is not running for re-election. 

Democrat Tamicka Washington, a longtime employee in the assessor's office with 20 years of experience, said she's running out of a love for public service. She wants to increase awareness of the office through the place where young people get information — TikTok or other social media platforms — and wants to host community events or town halls with other public offices. 

"Mark Schofield was such a public servant. It was infectious," Washington said of her boss when she first arrived at the assessor's office. "Sometimes in government we get away from the public service aspect, we're so focused on just getting the job done that we sometimes forget what the people actually need." 

Washington, an appraisal technician for the assessor's office and a member of SEIU Local 1107, has been endorsed by SEIU, the Clark County Democratic Party, the Culinary Union, Nevada State AFL-CIO as well as the Progressive Leadership Alliance of Nevada Action Fund. 

Her opponent, Republican Judy Joe, said she is looking for more transparency on where people's taxes are going. Joe, a former federal employee, also said she wants to make sure that no properties in Clark County are undervalued, leaving others to pick up the tax shortfall. She also wants to provide property tax relief for veterans. 

She has been endorsed by Mesquite Conservatives. 

The libertarian candidate, Lynette Warren, did not respond to The Indy's request for an interview in time for publication. 

Recorder 

The county recorder is in charge of keeping and recording public documents, such as deeds, mortgages, liens and military discharge records. Whenever a house or property changes ownership, the office is responsible for the documentation of the transfer. 

Running for the position to lead the office is Assm. Tanya Flanagan (D-North Las Vegas), a senior training coordinator in the recorder's office. She is currently serving as a state assemblymember and has 23 years of experience working in government. She ran for the Clark County Commission's District D but lost against current Commissioner William McCurdy II. 

She's been endorsed by the current Clark County Recorder Debbie Conway, SEIU Local 1107, Teamsters Nevada and the Culinary Union, as well as Plumbers, Pipefitters, and Service Technicians Local 525. She is also a member of SEIU. 

Her opponent, Republican Bill Young, is a former police officer and business owner. According to his website, he received an Outstanding Texan of the Year award in 1998. In an interview with The Nevada Independent, Young said he wants the office to run more efficiently and accurately. With thousands of documents filed in the county each day, he said it's important that there are minimal mistakes, which he doesn't feel is being done right now. He also said he wants to return to a five-day work week so that residents can get service on Fridays. 

"I'm on the conservative side, I'm conservative by day, and I got a pinch of liberal in me at night," Young said on his political affiliation, though he said the office deals with nonpartisan issues. "If you're a Democrat or a libertarian, we got to service you. It doesn't matter. What matters is you're present in front of me." 

The campaign tagline of libertarian candidate Steven Borella is "It's the People's Records." He thinks that the office deals with some of the most important records people have but could be run "a lot better." Most importantly, he said he wants to modernize the office and improve community outreach because many people aren't aware of the services that the recorder's office offers. 

"I used to have to wait a long time to get certain documents and it would bother me," Borella said, noting that he is passionate about property rights as a libertarian. 

Borella is also a poker player and was born with only two fingers on his right hand, something he said has enabled him to handle adversity. 

Flanagan did not respond to a request for comment in time for publication.