Cedric Crear

Cedric Crear is an American politician, businessman, and community leader based in Las Vegas, Nevada. He currently serves as a member of the Las Vegas City Council, representing Ward 5, and is a candidate for the mayor of Las Vegas in the June 2024 primary election. If elected, he would be the first Las Vegas native and the first African-American to serve as mayor of Las Vegas.

Early life and education
Cedric Crear was born in 1969 to John and Barbara Crear and raised in Las Vegas, Nevada, where he still lives in his childhood home in historic West Las Vegas. His father John Crear was the second African-American doctor registered in the state. He graduated from Bishop Gorman High School in 1987, where he excelled in tennis, achieving an undefeated record and winning four state championship titles. He then attended Howard University in Washington, D.C., on a tennis scholarship. He was captain of the team for three years and a two-time conference champion, graduating in 1992.

Business career
Prior to his political career, Crear founded Crear Creative Group, a full-service marketing, advertising, and consulting firm, in 2006. He also established Crear Outdoor Advertising. Before that, Crear was a sales and marketing executive for Station Casinos from 1997-2002.

He is a partner in business ventures including Shaq’s Big Chicken restaurants in Las Vegas and in Memphis.

Since 2021, Crear has been a member of the Board of Directors of Lexicon Bank.

Mayoral Campaign
In March 2021, Crear announced his candidacy for the 2024 Las Vegas mayoral election, focusing on enhancing community safety, promoting tourism, and fostering job creation.

Las Vegas City Council
Crear represents Ward 5, of which he is a lifelong resident, on the Las Vegas City Council. He won the March 27, 2018, special election to complete the council term of his predecessor, Ricki Barlow, which ended in 2019. He then won re-election to a full four-year term in the April 2019 election.

One of Crear's key initiatives while on the Council has been implementation of The HUNDRED (Historic Urban Neighborhood Design Redevelopment) Plan, a community-led approach to revitalizing the Historic Westside community of Las Vegas.

Nevada System of Higher Education
Crear served on the Board of Regents for the Nevada System of Higher Education from 2007-2018. He was first elected in 2006, and was re-elected in 2012 as the representative for District 1 in Clark County. He served as chair of the Cultural Diversity and Title IX Compliance Committee and vice chair of the Business, Finance and Facilities and Investment committees.

City of Las Vegas Planning Commission
Before his tenure on the city council, Crear was appointed to the City of Las Vegas Planning Commission in 2015, and served until 2018.

Community involvement
Crear has served on numerous non-profit and civic boards, including The Smith Center for the Performing Arts, the Southern Nevada Chapter of the American Red Cross, the Southern Nevada Regional Housing Authority, the National Black Caucus of Local Elected Officials, and the Andre Agassi Charitable Association.

Personal life
Crear is married to Keiba Crear, and they have two daughters. The family resides in West Las Vegas.