Fired Henderson Police Department Chief Hollie Chadwick announced she would be running for mayor of Henderson on Thursday morning, becoming the first candidate to challenge incumbent Michelle Romero.

In a press release, Chadwick pledged to bolster transparency and fiscal responsibility throughout Henderson’s city government, as well as strengthen public safety, support local small businesses, and improve educational opportunities and school safety.

A press conference was scheduled by her campaign for 10:30 a.m. Thursday outside Henderson City Hall.

“I’ve spent my career protecting and serving the people of Henderson,” Chadwick said in a statement released via spokeswoman Lisa Mayo-DeRiso. “Our city deserves a leader who listens, who acts, and who understands the importance of trust between government and the people we serve.”

Chadwick’s entry into the Henderson mayoral race comes several months after her high profile firing by City Manager Stephanie Garcia-Vause. In a March email to police employees announcing the ouster, Garcia-Vause said that she had lost confidence in Chadwick’s ability to improve the department’s culture and operations.

Chadwick was not fired because for cause or misconduct, Garcia-Vause said, and as of Thursday, the search for a new chief remained ongoing.

Named chief in 2023

The former police chief’s long career in law enforcement would bring a unique skill set to the mayor’s office, according to her campaign.

After starting with Henderson police in 2002, Chadwick would rise through the ranks to become the first female police commander in Nevada to oversee a SWAT team. In 2023, she was named chief.

But Henderson has a history of pushing out police chiefs, and the city had seen multiple other chiefs depart amid controversy in recent years.

Chadwick, who had been the city’s fifth police chief since 2008, would be the latest to be shown the door. On Feb. 13, a source told the Review-Journal that Chadwick had been given an ultimatum to resign or be fired. On March, 6, she was fired.

Until the announcement of the firing, the city had only stated Chadwick was on leave and that because it was a personnel issue, no further information would be released.

Some residents protested. A petition started on Feb. 15 on Change.org to reinstate Chadwick had nearly 2,000 signatures as of Thursday morning, and in a March 4 city council meeting, dozens of residents criticized city officials for what they believed was a lack of transparency.

Romero and other city officials have rebuffed those criticisms, citing a city policy to not discuss personnel matters. During a sit-down interview with the Las Vegas Review-Journal in April, Romero said she and other city councilors provided ample chances for the public to reach out, including monthly “Morning Meet Up” open forums.

“If you are interested in what’s happening in Henderson and you don’t know what’s happening in Henderson, it’s your fault,” Romero told the Review-Journal. “We have had a very concerted effort to make sure that there is two-way information, not just the city pushing out information, but also taking in information.”

Controversy during tenure as chief

Despite Chadwick’s support from many in the Henderson law enforcement community, her time leading the department wasn’t without controversy.

Months into Chadwick’s tenure as chief, the department found itself under increased scrutiny after a detective was accused of hurling a racial slur and urging the killing of Mexicans and Black Lives Matter protesters.

Detective Kevin LaPeer, an internal investigation found, broke the department’s rules on a number of occasions, though Chadwick eventually cleared his disciplinary record, a 2023 Review-Journal investigation found. LaPeer denied the accusations.

In February 2024, a Review-Journal investigation reported that Chadwick reversed recommendations to fire officers who were found to have conspired to cover up a suspected DUI car crash involving an off-duty co-worker, according to police investigative records. At a City Council meeting that month, Henderson’s elected officials including Mayor Michelle Romero expressed support for the police chief.

“I want to commend Chief Chadwick for the work that she’s done over the past year to resolve the outstanding issues and make some significant changes in the department,” Romero said.

Chadwick has also bumped heads with police union leaders, according to local officials from multiple area police unions.

Candidates can officially file in 2026

Though Romero and Chadwick have both announced their campaigns, neither candidate will be able to officially file the required paperwork with Nevada Secretary of State Francisco Aguilar’s office until next year.

The secretary of state’s website lists the filing period for nonjudicial political candidates as running from March 2 to March 13, 2026. But Romero as an incumbent can tout plans for new public facilities, like a planned fieldhouse that broke ground Wednesday, as well as national recognition for organizational excellence.

Romero easily won the 2022 mayoral primary and received more than 75 percent of the total vote, and already has endorsements from the Henderson Professional Firefighters Local 1883 union and the political arm of the Henderson Chamber of Commerce.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates.

Contact Casey Harrison at charrison@reviewjournal.com. Follow @Casey_Harrison1 on X or @casey-harrison.bsky.social on Bluesky. Review-Journal staff writer Bryan Horwath contributed to this report.