Mosley survives primary race

Kim Smith

Wednesday, Sept. 4, 2002 | 10:53 a.m.

Despite a tumultuous year, District Judge Donald Mosley had no problem securing a spot in November's general election, but a former judge who had legal problems of his own didn't quite make the cut.

Mosley walked away with more than 58 percent of the votes in Tuesday's primary election for Department 14. In November he will face John Curtas, who got 23 percent of the vote.

Mosley said he believes his 23 years on the bench overshadowed the problems he had this year with the state's Commission on Judicial Discipline -- problems Curtas dwelled on prior to the election.

"Unfortunately, Mr. Curtas is something of an opportunist who was seeking to exploit the problems I have had over the custody of my boy," Mosley said. "Frankly, I think many people are aware that these things are just part of a nasty custody battle and very little more."

But Curtas this morning continued the attacks.

"He's a bad judge and he's an unethical judge," Curtas said. "It's my job as his opponent to let the voters know what a bad judge he is."

Gerard Bongiovanni did not fare as well as Mosley. The former judge, who was acquitted in 1998 on bribery and wire fraud charges, came in third in the race for the newly created Department 21, getting bumped from the race.

Chief Deputy District Attorney Valerie Adair will face personal injury attorney Ron Israel in November.

Bongiovanni didn't return phone calls Tuesday night seeking comment on the election results.

Chief Deputy District Attorney David Wall, who helped convict Rick Tabish and Sandy Murphy in the Ted Binion murder case, ran away with nearly 35 percent of the votes in race for the newly created Department 20.

He will face Sandy Smagac, a civil attorney who has handled numerous personal injury and medical malpractice cases.

"I'm thrilled," Wall said. "In a six-person race, to come out with that percentage is kind of humbling."

Smagac said she plans to continue her grass-roots campaign in an effort to "reach out to every voter."

"I'm just absolutely ecstatic at this moment," Smagac said.

In Department 10 Las Vegas Municipal Court Judge Jessie Elizabeth Walsh will face Family Court Judge William Voy.

Several Clark County District Court races advanced directly to the general election, because they drew only two candidates.

District Judge Gene Porter will face David Lee Phillips. District Judge Kathy Hardcastle will be run against Carolyn Ellsworth. Judge Jeffrey Sobel will face Jackie Glass, and Clark County District Attorney Stewart Bell will face Grenville Pridham for the Department 7 seat vacated by Nevada Supreme Court contender Mark Gibbons.

District Judges Valorie Vega, Ron Parraguirre, Joseph Bonaventure, Lee Gates, Jennifer Togliatti, Michael Douglas, Mark Denton and Michelle Leavitt didn't draw any opposition. Nor did judges Sally Loehrer, John McGroarty, Michael Cherry, Nancy Saitta and Allan Earl.