Gregory, Silver win court races

Judy Odierna and Emily Richmond

Wednesday, June 4, 2003 | 9:57 a.m.

There were no surprises in the Las Vegas Municipal Court races on Tuesday, with incumbent Toy Gregory retaining his 20-year hold on the bench and prosecutor Abbi Silver winning a vacant seat.

In Department 1 Gregory -- who had run unopposed for two decades -- won with 57 percent of the vote to challenger Denise McCurry's 43 percent.

In Department 6 Silver had 62 percent of the vote to Bill Henderson's 38 percent.

McCurry, a private attorney and alternate municipal judge, criticized incumbent Gregory last week for taking campaign contributions from two strip club owners who are under investigation by the FBI. Gregory received $5,000 from Mike Galardi and $1,000 from his father, Jack Galardi, who own Cheetahs and Jaguars, two strip clubs that were raided last month by federal and local law enforcement agents.

Gregory was originally appointed to the seat in 1983 and was named chief municipal judge in 2000.

"We worked real hard on the race and I've very proud to have been re-elected," Gregory said Tuesday, noting that he and his wife spent weekends walking the precinct and talking to voters. "I'm so appreciative of all my supporters for their help. This was my first time in a contested race, and I have to say I enjoyed it."

McCurry congratulated Gregory this morning and said she was proud of her showing.

"If you factor in that I was a relative political novice and was outspent by a huge amount, I think I had really good numbers. I did really well," she said.

Asked if she would run again, she said, "Right now standing here sunburned and in debt, I don't think it would be anytime soon. I wouldn't count it out, though."

Silver is a Las Vegas-area native who has worked in the district attorney's office since 1990. She is currently assigned to the special victim's unit, which specializes in domestic violence, sexual assault, child and elderly abuse and neglect, aggravated stalking and homicide involving domestic violence. She has handled a variety of high-profile cases, including stalking incidents involving casino mogul Steve Wynn and comedian Jerry Lewis.

Silver ran a contentious race for district attorney last year against David Roger in the Republican primary. Silver accused Roger of being in the pocket of strip club owners who helped bankroll his campaign. Roger denied the charge and went on to win the race.

"I've always wanted to be a judge," said Silver, a lifelong resident of Clark County. "I don't regret trying for district attorney, because it seemed like the right opening at the time, but a seat on the bench has pretty much been a lifelong dream."

This is Henderson's fourth loss in the last four years. Henderson ran unsuccessfully for Family Court in 2000, for Municipal Court Department 2 in 2001 and for Family Court Department L in last year.

Henderson said he called to offer his congratulations to Silver when the early returns showed her strong lead.

"I expressed some concerns during the campaign about (Silver) being a career prosecutor, but she promised to be balanced and fair and now that's she won she deserves every opportunity to carry out those promises," Henderson said. "I wish her every success."

Both seats are six-year terms that pay $113,578 annually.