Cedric Crear oral history interview, 2025 April 15

Oral history interview with Cedric Crear conducted by Stefani Evans, Claytee D. White, and Bethany Dayton on April 15, 2025 for the Game On! An Oral History of Las Vegas Sports project. In this interview Cedric Crear, member of the Commission for the Las Vegas Centennial, begins by discussing how his parents moved to Las Vegas, Nevada coming from Los Angeles, California. He was born in Las Vegas in 1969, growing up in the Historic Westside and attending Bishop Gorman High School. During this time, he spent a lot of time playing tennis, and his mother installed a tennis court in their backyard during the early 1980s. After graduating from Bishop Gorman, Crear went to Howard University on a tennis scholarship and spent all four years at Howard playing tennis. After graduating and returning to Las Vegas, he began working for Station Casinos. Initially starting in the Sportsbook, he moved into management and marketing, spending ten years at Station Casinos before leaving to start his own advertisement firm.

He recalls his first run for public office in 2004, running for State Senate against Steven Horsford. Their campaigns were marketed as Station Casinos versus the Culinary Union, and Cedric lost. He was determined to keep running and ran for the Board of Regents in 2006 and 2012, winning both terms. He stayed with the Board of Regents until he was asked to be the representative for Ward 5 in the City Council in 2016. After a special election, he was elected to the position of City Councilman for Ward 5 temporarily, winning the permanent seat a year and a half later. He then served as the Councilman for Ward 5 until 2024, when he ran for Las Vegas Mayor. He details the various plans and actions that were put into motion during his time as Councilman, including the HUNDRED Plan, a revitalization project for the Historic Westside. Since taking a step back from public office, he continues to run his advertising firm and currently serves as Vice President for Onda Affordable Housing Group. He concludes the interview by reminiscing about how much he loves Las Vegas, and how he still lives in his childhood home on the Historic Westside. Digital audio and transcript available.