Kerns posts victory in LV judge’s race

Bill Gang

Wednesday, June 4, 1997 | 10:33 a.m.

After eight years on the bench, Las Vegas Municipal Judge Gregory Barlow was decisively booted off by a young attorney whom few voters had heard of just months ago.

Cedric Kerns, 31, pulled in 56 percent of the sparse vote to 44 percent for the 48-year-old Barlow, who was hampered by chronically low ratings in lawyer surveys over the past six years.

In the May primary election, more than 60 percent of the vote went against Barlow and almost all of those votes continued to go against the incumbent in Tuesday's general election.

Kerns said he was surprised by the margin, having predicted a tight race.

Kerns actually had predicted that the incumbent would benefit from a low voter turnout that was guaranteed in much of the city when Ward 2 City Councilman Arnie Adamsen won re-election to his seat in the primary.

The only contest left on the ballot in Wards 1, 2 and 3 was for Municipal Court judge.

"What can I say?" Barlow commented after the votes were counted. "I'm looking for a new job."

"We had great supporters and I thought we had it done, but we didn't," he lamented. "I hope he does a good job."

Kerns replied, "I think I will."

The new judge credited the lawyers and other supporters "who stuck their necks out" to campaign against a sitting judge.

Unlike the City Council races, the Municipal Court contest did not capture much of the public's interest and was not marred by any great controversies.

"We both went after it and we kept it reasonably clean," the excited winner said. "He was hammering my age and I was hammering on his (lawyer survey) ratings."

The campaign, in reality, centered on one campaign issue: Barlow's record.

The incumbent has touted his experience from eight years on the bench as the reason to return him to office while Kerns charged that Barlow's performance during those years didn't justify re-election.

Kerns, who promised to bring courtesy, integrity and experience to the bench, is a 1989 graduate of UNLV and a 1992 graduate of the University of San Diego Law School.

Before the general election, Kerns predicted the vote would be "extremely close" and the difference may be who gets out the vote.

Kerns said he had "a ton of people who busted their butts this weekend" to contact voters.

Barlow -- who had emphasized that he was endorsed by police organizations, unions, conservative groups and senior citizens -- said he and his supporters also had walked the precincts urging voters to go to the polls.

Kerns criticized Barlow during the campaign for what he said was the improper use of his office staff and city stationery and stamps for campaigning, in violation of an edict by city administrators.

Barlow denied the allegations, although he conceded that his office phone number was on his campaign literature because his chambers "is where I am and where I'm expected to be."