Pamela Goynes-Brown, the first African American major of North Las Vegas, was born in 1962 on a Navajo Indian Reservation in Utah. Her parents were Theron and Naomi Goynes. In 1964 the family moved to North Las Vegas so they could pursue careers in education.
Pamela Goynes attended local schools in North Las Vegas but after high school graduation she enrolled in Prairie View A & M University, an HBCU institution in Texas. Goynes earned a bachelor’s degree, Summa Cum Laude in Music Education. She later attended Nova Southeastern University in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida where she received a Master’s degree in elementary education with an endorsement in educational leadership. Goynes worked in the Clark County School system in North Las Vegas for over three decades. For the first 20 years she taught music in the schools. The last years of her career were spent as an administrator in Clark County schools.
Pamela’s father, Theron Goynes, was the first African American to serve on the North Las Vegas city council and the first to serve as mayor pro tempore for the city. He also ran unsuccessfully for the position of mayor.Pamela decided to follow in her father’s footsteps and was elected to the North Las Vegas city council in 2011 where she represented the city’s Second Ward. Goynes served on the city council for the next 10 years. During a portion of that time, she served as mayor pro tempore becoming the first Black woman to hold that post.
In 2022 Goynes announced her candidacy for mayor of North Las Vegas. In the nonpartisan primary she was the top voter getter among eight candidates. She went on to win the general election on November 8, 2022 garnering nearly 67% of the vote. Goynes assumed office on December 1, 2022. North Las Vegas is one of the fastest growing cities in Nevada. The population of the city grew 21% between 2010 and 2020. It is also the largest minority-majority city in the state. Whites and Hispanics each comprise 42% of city’s population. The African-American population of the city is 22%.
As mayor, Pamela Goynes-Brown has endeavored to make city employees and the police department reflect the diversity of North Las Vegas. Under her direction the city offers various incentive packages and bonuses to attract and keep well-trained police officers. She worked to bring the Helios Health and Wellness Campus to the city. Downtown has been revitalized. Over twenty new restaurants have opened in the past 3 years. Under her stewardship federal funding directed to the city has continued to increase dramatically ($121 million was award to the city in 2021). She has announced plans to update all city parks adding new equipment, splash pads, lighting, and dog parks.
Pamela Goynes-Brown is married to Romero Brown. She has two adult children: Bobby R. Owens III and Michael A. Owens.
Do you find this information helpful? A small donation would help us keep this available to all. Forego a bottle of soda and donate its cost to us for the information you just learned, and feel good about helping to make it available to everyone.
BlackPast.org is a 501(c)(3) non-profit and our EIN is 26-1625373. Your donation is fully tax-deductible.
April Corbin Girnus, “Goynes-Brown establishes legacy and looks to write a new chapter for North Las Vegas,” https://nevadacurrent.com/2022/12/14/goynes-brown-establishes-legacy-and-looks-to-write-new-chapter-for-north-las-vegas/
“Mayor Pamela Goynes-Brown,” City of North Las Vegas, https://www.cityofnorthlasvegas.com/our-city/city-council/mayor
Ricardo Torres-Cortez, “Nevada’s first Black mayor carries on her father’s legacy,” Las Vegas News-Journal, https://www.reviewjournal.com/local/north-las-vegas/nevadas-first-black-mayor-carries-on-her-fathers-legacy-2731639/
“Pamela Goynes-Brown for Mayor of North Las Vegas,” Higher Heights for America PAC, https://www.higherheightsforamericapac.org/candidate/pamela-goynes-brown/
