Del Vecchio’s perseverance pays off with win

Kim Smith

Wednesday, Nov. 8, 2000 | 10:51 a.m.

When Nicholas Del Vecchio lost the Las Vegas Municipal Court primary in 1999, he vowed to never run again.

His father, Anthony, had other ideas.

Del Vecchio said his late father came to him in a dream that very night and told him "try one more time."

On Tuesday, Del Vecchio garnered 55 percent of the vote in his race against Beth Wachsman to become a Family Court judge.

In honor of his father, Del Vecchio said his judicial name will be "Judge N. Anthony Del Vecchio."

"It's a great day," Del Vecchio said.

Cheryl Moss and Lisa Brown also won their races and will be joining Del Vecchio on the Family Court bench. The women both took home 60 percent of the votes cast in their race.

"I'm very, very delighted," Moss said. "I'm looking forward to serving the community."

Moss, Brown and Del Vecchio's positions were created by the 1999 Legislature to relieve a growing case load.

Last year almost 28,000 cases involving family issues were filed, compared with 25,000 in 1995. The number of juvenile cases also increased in that period from 7,500 to almost 8,000.

The Phil Beuth-Moss race for Department I was the most contentious of the three. Beuth, a 46-year-old married father, ran a television ad that questioned the qualifications of Moss, a 30-year-old childless, single woman.

In the ad, a handful of women discuss the race while sitting around a kitchen table. At the end, the women decide to vote for Beuth because he is a married father.

Moss countered the ad by pointing to her 13 years in the legal field, particularly the five years she has spent in family law. She also helps indigent clients at a self-help center at Family Court.

Moss said Tuesday night that the outcome of her race proves once again the general public doesn't like negative campaigns.

In addition, Moss said, "I think the voters were too smart. They know that gender isn't an issue."

In the Department J race, Brown, 33, said she would use the experience she has gained as a deputy attorney general for the Nevada's Division of Child and Family Services.

She had promised to be fair, courteous and respectful.

Her opponent, Bill Henderson, 41, said he wanted to fast-track certain cases to help get rid of the glut of cases in Family Court. He also promised to cut back on the use of expensive psychiatric evaluations in making custody decisions.

In the Department K race, Del Vecchio, 43, had stressed the importance of coming to court prepared and making consistent decisions. The former Nye and Clark county prosecutor has run for judge five times before.

Wachsman, 30, a fee dispute arbitrator for the State Bar and a family lawyer for five years, promised efficiency and a respectful attitude.

Del Vecchio said he believes a series of Wachsman radio ads that suggested he ought not win because he has run and lost several times in the past backfired.

He said he purposely stayed away from personal attacks and ran his campaign on the issues, he said.