LAS VEGAS (KLAS) — Hollie Chadwick, the one-time Henderson police chief whose law enforcement career ended abruptly when the city manager ousted her from that position in March, will run for mayor in the city’s 2026 election, the 8 News Now Investigators have learned.

She is set to announce her candidacy in a news conference on the steps of Henderson City Hall on Thursday morning, according to a release from her campaign manager.

Henderson’s city manager dismissed Chadwick, the 15th chief in the Henderson Police Department’s 72-year history, on March 6. Her term as chief began in May 2023 and lasted less than two years. She rebuffed the city’s efforts to persuade her to sign a nondisclosure agreement, opting instead to collect her pension and run for mayor.

Hollie Chadwick became the 15th chief for the Henderson Police Department in May 2023. Her term lasted two years until she was dismissed. (KLAS)

“I am not a politician. I believe in public service, and this was never on my mind or a radar of something that I wanted to do in the future,” Chadwick said, in an exclusive interview with the 8 News Now Investigators.

“When all of this went down with me no longer being the chief, I got so many phone calls and texts and emails, and requests from, not just employees of the City of Henderson, but community members reaching out and saying, ‘We need change. We need you to run for mayor, and we want you to continue as our leader.'”

Chadwick discusses her dismissal

Chadwick, in her first public interview since refusing the city’s quit-or-be-fired ultimatum, said she believes her opponent for mayor, incumbent Michelle Romero, was behind her removal despite having given Chadwick a vote of confidence in the days leading to her forced leave of absence. 

“Stephanie Garcia-Vause, the city manager, is the person that made that decision,” Chadwick said.  “From my understanding, there’s no doubt in my mind, though, that she makes no decisions without the mayor’s approval.”

Navigating an array of topics including city politics and transparency, her refusal to sign the city’s nondisclosure agreement, and her mayoral platform, Chadwick told the 8 News Now Investigators she learned through the same press release the city sent to the news media that her 22 years of service to the police department was over. 

“That’s how I was notified,” Chadwick said. “So that should be very telling to our community of how we treat our employees of the City of Henderson. I had to find out through the news.”

Chadwick said she was blindsided when the city manager, Garcia-Vause, put her on leave.

“It broke my heart,” Chadwick said. “But it didn’t break my spirit. I knew during that time the outpouring of love and support I was getting, not just from the men and women who work for the police department, but also city employees and the community. I knew I had done a good job. I will never doubt that. I know I held true to my integrity and the code that I took.”

Chadwick said as soon as she was named chief, in May 2023, others within the police department were vying for her job. 

“I worked very, very hard to unite our department,” Chadwick said. “I was probably only in that seat for about two minutes before I had 10 people lining up to try to take my spot. It can be very toxic, and understanding that, I still was able to build a very strong command team that had one common goal and purpose and that was to protect and serve this community and to work together as a team.”

Fallout from Henderson police chief’s abrupt departure escalates as councilwoman, city provide differing responses

She admits that she lost a battle against union executives who did not approve of her leadership style. The unions, who welcomed her appointment as chief of police, eventually celebrated her departure.

“The city’s decision was not unexpected and was a long time coming,” Andrew Regenbaum, executive director of the Nevada Association of Public Safety Officers (HPSA), told the 8 News Now Investigators on Feb. 14. “The unions look forward to healing the divides that were created within the department and moving ahead collaboratively.” 

“Well, I find that statement interesting since the statement from the city manager said the unions had no involvement,” Chadwick told the 8 News Now Investigators. “So again, you have conflicting statements there. I can tell you, when you talk about union leadership, that’s a small group that’s part of an executive board. They don’t necessarily carry the sentiment of the entire rank and file.

“I understand they had concerns, but I also need to be very transparent that I can’t always say yes to what the unions want, just like I can’t always say yes to what the city wants, I had to balance the decisions I made with the understanding of what the facts were in front of me, and I knew every decision I made.”

Henderson police unions pull support from councilwoman following remarks

In an illustration of the importance of union support in the Henderson political environment, the next day, the unions withdrew their endorsements from Carrie Cox, the Ward III city councilwoman, because of her comments after Chadwick was placed on leave. Cox is running for re-election in Henderson’s only other high-profile 2026 race.

Chadwick’s run for Henderson mayor

Arguably, based on the circumstances of Chadwick’s departure as police chief, it can be construed as a failure in the inherently political endeavor of running one of the city’s most important departments. However, Chadwick said she is prepared to run a successful mayoral campaign and lead the city.

“As the mayor, you answer to the public,” Chadwick said. “I don’t have to answer to self-serving individual agendas. I get to answer to the public, to my constituents, and I get to continue to serve this community with transparency and integrity.”

Chadwick, in her race against Romero, plans to run on a platform that includes improving educational opportunities for Henderson’s young students and adults, increasing affordable housing, and supporting businesses within the community.

Henderson Mayoral candidate Hollie Chadwick wants to create opportunities for more affordable housing in Henderson. (KLAS)

“I grew up in Las Vegas, and I live in Henderson, and really up until a few years ago, it wasn’t that hard to kind of find a place to live and make sure you could afford within what you were making as a living,” Chadwick said. “Now it’s very difficult for everyone and we have to look at opportunities to make sure that affordable housing is out there for everyone and the opportunity is there for people to have families and afford to live and work and have a home — or at least a backyard — and things they can do in the in the residential communities.”

When news of Chadwick’s termination became public, her supporters inundated Henderson’s city council meetings demanding transparency. Those biweekly meetings often include chaotic, disruptive sequences between council members and the mayor, despite Romero’s assertions to the contrary.

“If we need to take a recess and let people cool down, that’s what we’ll do,” Romero said in an interview that aired on Politics Now on May 17. “Doesn’t mean that there’s chaos, you know, people like to portray that there is, you know, all kinds of chaos going on. That’s not what’s happening.”

Should Chadwick, an observer on the Henderson political scene since her jettison from the police department, become mayor, she says she can lead the city council despite its occasional discord.   

“They need leadership, you need team mentality, and you need people to start working together. And I think unfortunately, the community has seen that’s not happening,” Chadwick said. “It starts with the mayor. And it hasn’t been happening. You see them arguing on the dais. You see them arguing outside. You see them not communicating or being a team. And that doesn’t mean you can’t agree to disagree. Open, transparent dialogue, even with conflict, is good.”

The three chiefs before Chadwick, dating back to 2017, left the city’s top law enforcement job under similarly bad circumstances. One was forced to resign, one was fired, and one retired after receiving two votes of no confidence from Henderson’s police unions. That former chief came out of retirement and currently heads a police department in South Central Texas.

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Chadwick has a Doctorate in Public Service Leadership and graduated from a prestigious national FBI academy, and the Naval Postgraduate Executive Leaders program, according to her Hollie for Mayor campaign literature.