Architect challenges incumbent for NV higher ed regents seat

A local architect is challenging a first-term incumbent to represent District 3 on the Nevada Board of Regents.

The  incumbent, Regent Byron Brooks, is an Army combat veteran who now owns and operates a local bail bonds agency. He faces Erik Swendseid, the vice president at the Las Vegas-based architectural firm EV&A.

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The Board of Regents oversees the Nevada System of Higher Education, which is composed of two research universities, a state university, four community colleges, and a research institute. NSHE enrolls more than 100,000 students, according to their website, and has a biennium budget of more than $2 billion dollars.

District 3 is contained entirely within Clark County. It includes central parts of the Las Vegas Valley, including around UNLV and part of Spring Valley, and parts of Henderson, including Silverado Ranch and Anthem.

Brooks was elected in 2020 for a six-year term. But, if elected, his second term will only be two years. That’s because the Nevada State Legislature in 2023 passed a bill to reduce the number to regents from 13 to nine. They also shortened the term length of regents from six years to four years beginning with the 2028 election. To align those changes, the winners of this year’s regents races will have truncated terms and have to run for re-election in 2028.

Regents run in nonpartisan races. Because only Brooks and Swendseid filed to run, they did not appear on the ballot in the June primary.

Brooks, according to his NSHE bio, describes his term on the board as being “marked by a focus on accountability, strategic governance, and ensuring Nevada’s higher education system meets the evolving needs of students, faculty, and the state’s workforce.” He has twice served 1-year terms as chair of the board.

In January, Brooks voted against raising tuition between 9 and 12% to cover a budget gap attributed to pay raises. When asked about that vote, Brooks told The Nevada Independent “faculty compensation and student services matter, but tuition should be a last resort. Nevada needs sustainable state investment, greater budget transparency, and funding formula reform to protect affordability, access, and student success.”

Swendseid told the Nevada Faculty Alliance in a candidate survey that he hopes to be a “a pragmatic voice in helping guide our higher education.”

Swendseid is a UNLV graduate who was born and raised in Reno. “I remain deeply connected to the state’s unique character and the people I share it with,” he wrote in a Ballotpedia candidate survey. “That perspective has shaped not only my professional work, but also my belief that systems—whether physical or institutional—should be intentionally designed to serve those who rely on them.”

On his campaign website, Brooks touts endorsements from various law enforcement groups, including the Las Vegas Police Protective Association and Public Safety Alliance of Nevada, and various fellow elected officials, including Mayors Shelley Berkley and Michelle Romero, and legislators like state Sens. Carrie Buck (R-Henderson) and Jeff Stone (R-Henderson).

On his campaign website, Swendseid touts endorsements from the Nevada Faculty Alliance, Vegas Chamber, Veterans in Politics, and AIA Las Vegas.

Notably, several politically active labor unions and organizations, such as the Culinary union and SEIU Local 1107 have not endorsed either candidate in District 3 but have weighed in on other regents races.

Swendseid raised $9,100 in contributions and in-kind donations during the first half of the year. He had $1,510 on hand as of July 1.

Brooks raised $11,300 during the first half of the year but spent almost none and entered the general election cycle with $11,279.

Third quarter campaign finance reports are due to the state on Oct. 15, two days before Nevada’s two-week in-person early voting period begins.