William McCurdy II still keeps signs from his 2014 bid to become College of Southern Nevada’s student body president, his first successful race before winning subsequent ones for the Legislature and Clark County Commission, where he currently serves.
His father was his chief political strategist throughout it all.
“He was my greatest adviser,” McCurdy II told the Las Vegas Review-Journal. “He taught me so much about the political system.”
William O’Neill McCurdy Sr., a longtime pastor, civil servant and prolific advocate for his cherished Las Vegas Historic Westside neighborhood, died last month. He was 75.
Southern Nevada politicos remembered him as a shrewd, no-nonsense consultant who helped some of them win their seats.
U.S. House honors
Officials, including Las Vegas Mayor Shelley Berkley and U.S. Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto, D-Nev., swiftly lionized the pastor after his March 20 death.
Two Democratic members of Nevada’s congressional delegation took to the U.S. House floor to highlight his legacy.
“Mr. Speaker, Pastor McCurdy leaves behind a lasting imprint on the city of Las Vegas and the state of Nevada,” Rep. Steven Horsford said. “His life reminds us that meaningful change often begins in community — with individuals who care deeply about their neighbors and are willing to dedicate themselves to public service.”
Rep. Susie Lee, D-Nev., did the same.
“A true Las Vegas icon, he was an influential community figure with decades of civic and political ties across the state,” she said. “And although he never held public office himself, he had an immense influence in the community and in Nevada politics.”
Horsford told the Las Vegas Review-Journal that he’d met the late pastor growing up in the Historic Westside.
“Many of us hold our victories in elections in large part because of his strategic advice, his keen abilities and relationships in neighborhoods,” he said.
“More important than elections, he was just a good man,” Horsford added. “A man who cared deeply about this community; who fought hard for it, who had a word for people who didn’t always do the right thing — or who he wanted to make sure were fighting for the things that he believed in.”
‘I am heartbroken’
McCurdy Sr. was born to James O’Neil and Lovey Marie McCurdy in Forest, Mississippi, in 1950, according to his obituary. The family relocated to Las Vegas two years later.
Berkley, who previously served in the Nevada Legislature and Congress, remembered befriending him at Valley High School. He attended Nevada College in Carson City.
“I am heartbroken having to say goodbye to my longtime friend and community activist William McCurdy Sr.,” the mayor wrote in a statement. “He was a constant on the campaign trail in each of my elections, and I can never thank him enough for his support,” she added.
Berkley honored him with a City Council proclamation last year.
“He is a person who’s always ready to help our community and identify areas where government can do better,” she said.
At the dais, McCurdy Sr. stood next to his wife, Billie McCurdy.
He told the room that he wanted the Historic Westside to flourish to its former glory, and thanked God and loved ones.
“Especially, Billie,” said McCurdy Sr., reaching out to hug her. “Billie keeps me straight.”
The Clark County Commission honored him posthumously with a moment of silence. A photo of him wearing his pastor garb was displayed.
“Since we were together last, we lost both a pillar of this community and someone particularly important to our board and our colleague Commissioner McCurdy,” said Commission Chair Michael Naft as he reached out to tap the grieving son’s arm.
Decades-long civic service
McCurdy’s half-century pastoral service expanded throughout Nevada and ultimately to Las Vegas’ Progressive Community Church of God in Christ, his obituary notes.
Outside the church, he served as a city of Las Vegas constable. As a civilian, he was tapped for numerous committees, such as the Southern Nevada Regional Housing Authority Commission and the citizen’s advisory committee for the Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada.
The elder McCurdys founded the McCurdy & McCurdy Media Group, a firm that specialized in political consulting and advertising.
Cortez Masto described the late pastor as a force.
“When our community needed leadership, he always took charge and led with the integrity and faith that defined his life,” she said in a statement. “Pastor McCurdy will be deeply missed by all of us whose lives he touched.”
McCurdy Sr. was a regular at Mario’s WestSide Market, where he liked to take elected officials.
“You have to make the trip to the community,” he said at the City Hall ceremony.
He recalled inviting then-Sheriff Joe Lombardo there. “Come on Joe, let’s go,” McCurdy Sr. said he told him. “When Joe Lombardo went to Mario’s, he fell in love with Mario’s.”
Berkley said local, state and federal officials know his name and political acumen.
The mayor said that his no-nonsense style and integrity made him a great mentor.
After McCurdy Sr. gave honest feedback, he would follow up with: “You do what you want to do,” Berkley said.
‘Different without him here’
McCurdy II remembers being a child eager to spend time with his father.
“My dad used to take me everywhere with him when I was younger,” he said.
He would wake up early mornings to the sound of his father.
“I would immediately get up, get dressed and track him down and ask if I could go (with him),” McCurdy II said.
They would go to breakfast and to visit his father’s friends, the son said. “Really, every day would be an adventure.”
His father taught him perseverance, to become a better person regardless of obstacles, he said.
McCurdy II said that televised political debates were treated like the Super Bowl. “It really is going to be different without him here, being able to celebrate those debates or big political events,” he said.
He said he has a deep sense of responsibility to carry on his father’s legacy.
“Not only being concerned about who represents us at every level of government, but also feeling the responsibility to ensure that the community’s voice and his concerns are elevated when the opportunities are given,” McCurdy II said.
Contact Ricardo Torres-Cortez at rtorres@reviewjournal.com.
