Monday, May 19, 2003 | 11:08 a.m.
b>Candidate bios
Toy R. Gregory
Age: 69
Education: B.A. in liberal arts in 1956 and a Juris Doctorate in 1958, both from the University of North Carolina.
Work experience: Gregory joined his father in law practice after leaving the armed forces. He was appointed to Municipal Court Department 1 in 1983 and has served there, unopposed until this election, for more than 20 years.
Endorsements: Las Vegas Police Protective Association; Fraternal Order of Police; Las Vegas Fire-fighters; Nevada Conference of Police and Sheriffs; Las Vegas City Employees Association; Law Enforcement Association of Nevada;Las Vegas Police Protective Associ- ation, Civilian Employees; Southern Nevada Central Labor Council; Southwest Regional Council of Carpenters; Culinary Union; Bartenders Union Local 165; International Association of Ironworkers ; United Food and Commercial Workers; Sheet Metal Workers InternationalAssociation; Teamsters Local 631; Chinese American Citizens Alliance ; Latin Chamber of Commerce;Greater Las Vegas Association of Realtors; Asian Chamber of Commerce; Police Officers Association -- Clark County School District; Nevada Black Police Association; Teamsters Local 995; Laborers'International Union of North America Local 872.
Denise McCurry
Age: 33.
Education: B.A. in political science from the University of Redlands in California in 1992; juris doctorate from Mercer University's Walter F. George School of Law in 1995.
Work experience: McCurry practices criminal defense, civil litigation and family law at her firm, Denise McCurry and Associates. She is an alternate municipal judge for Las Vegas. She provides pro bono legal services in areas such as domestic violence and civil fraud in conjunction with Clark County Legal Services. She volunteers for the Southern Nevada Coalition of Concerned Women and the Martin Luther King Neighborhood Council.
Endorsements: Las Vegas Police Managers and Supervisors; National Organization for Women.
The two remaining candidates for Las Vegas Municipal Court Department 1 are taking the high road, they say.
Incumbent Judge Toy Gregory and his challenger, Denise McCurry, say you won't see any negative mailers or name-calling from either side.
"I think it's more important to let voters know why they should vote for you rather than sling mud at your opponent," McCurry said. "I think how you act as a candidate also reflects how you will be as a judge."
Gregory faced a different attitude in the primary. Opponent Mathew Paul Harter challenged Gregory's record, saying he didn't show up to work enough and that when he was there he wasn't courteous to attorneys in his courtroom.
Gregory garnered 40.8 percent of the vote in the primary election. McCurry captured 35.9 percent and Harter received 23.3 percent. The seat is a six-year term that pays $113,578 annually.
Criminal defense attorney Ozzie Fumo said he has never seen Gregory be abrasive -- just tough.
"He's the kind of judge that, if a client deserves a kick in the pants to get started again, he'll give them a kick in the pants," Fumo said. "He's not a pushover. He won't lean for one side or the other. I've never experienced him yelling or screaming in court, but I have experienced him being tough and fair."
Gregory originally was appointed to the seat in 1983 and was named chief municipal judge in 2000. He says he's proud of the Municipal Court's alternative sentencing department and a program adopted last year that eliminated the use of public defenders and hired private attorneys to represent indigent clients.
After running unopposed for 20 years, Gregory is operating his first real campaign.
"It's a lot of work, that's what I've discovered," Gregory said. "But it's also a lot of fun to meet a lot of nice people. I just love Municipal Court and I've made a home there. When I went there 20 years ago, it wasn't as a stepping stone."
McCurry said that right now she, too, has no aspirations for another bench outside Municipal Court.
"I have tried to serve my community through various volunteer acts and pro bono work," McCurry said. "Municipal Court is a really wonderful opportunity because it's the first time adults come into court. So I feel like I can effect change at that level before they go on and commit felonies.
"In all honesty, Municipal Court has the greatest effect on the community."
Born in Thailand and raised in Saudi Arabia, McCurry was sent to boarding school in the United States when she was 15 and completed her education stateside. She moved to Las Vegas in 1996.
Attorney Uri Clinton, a former law partner of McCurry, said McCurry's community ties have helped prepare her for the job, as has her experience as an alternate.
"She has a very solid understanding of what the needs of the community are," he said. "All those Municipal Court judges who had her serve repeatedly as an alternate shows that they had the confidence in her not only to do it once but to come back again."
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