Hedger bumps Provost from bench

Dan Kulin

Wednesday, April 9, 2003 | 9:14 a.m.

Riding a wave of endorsements from law enforcement groups and Henderson's mayor, Douglas Hedger unseated incumbent Henderson Municipal Judge John Provost in the Tuesday city election.

Hedger, 36, a chief deputy public defender for Clark County, received 7,434, or 55.2 percent, of the votes. Provost, a city judge since 1996, received 6,035, or 44.8 percent, of the votes, according to unofficial totals released by the Clark County Election Department.

Hedger said the variety of his endorsements and the strong efforts of campaign volunteers played a part in his victory. Also, Hedger said, many voters he spoke with during the campaign were concerned about Provost's recent lawsuit against the city over pay raises for judges.

"They all did have some effect on the voters," Hedger said.

Provost, 42, agreed.

"It was a combination of everything," he said.

In the weeks leading up to the election, Hedger garnered endorsements from law enforcement groups, Henderson Mayor Jim Gibson and a new political action committee that targeted Provost.

Provost's campaign was also hit with several potentially damaging stories. Provost was a contestant on an obscure game show, "Friend or Foe," which a political expert said could appear "un-judgelike" to voters. Also, an invitation to a Provost campaign fund-raiser was apparently sent from a courthouse fax machine.

Provost said he did not know who sent the fax and said it was wrong if it happened. But a newly formed PAC, Citizens for Ethics in Politics, seized the game show and fax stories to blast Provost in a political mailer for poor judgment and poor ethics.

Meanwhile, Hedger was busy reminding voters that Provost and fellow Municipal Judge Kenneth Proctor sued the city over pay raises last fall.

Provost said a lawsuit was the proper way to resolve the disagreement over whether a city law said the judges should get annual raises equal to the 8 1/2 percent increases given to other city supervisors or 3 1/2 percent annual raises. Henderson judges are paid about $102,000 a year.

The judges dropped the suit after being strongly criticized by city officials.

CCouncilman Andy Hafen, who was re-elected Tuesday, said the lawsuit was a significant factor in his decision to support Hedger over Provost and probably influenced the general public as well.

"The public is pretty well aware of what's going on," Hafen said. "The voters saw what he did."