Wednesday, April 6, 2005 | 9:35 a.m.
The nephew of Henderson Mayor Jim Gibson came up short in his bid for a judicial post, while a North Las Vegas woman who runs a child care center and owns a beauty salon is the candidate to beat for Municipal Court judge.
Voters in North Las Vegas and Henderson narrowed the field Tuesday to two candidates each in judicial races for newly created municipal courts. Candidates needed more than 50 percent of the vote to win the race outright and avoid running in the June 7 general election.
In Henderson where four candidates ran for a six-year term in Department 3, Diana Hampton, 39, a former criminal prosecutor for the city of Henderson, captured 3,487 votes or 34.2 percent. She will square off against Michael Miller, 54, a Henderson Municipal and Justice Court pro-tem judge who had 2,730 votes, 26.8 percent.
Miller defeated James Gibson Jr., 30, the nephew of Henderson Mayor Jim Gibson, by 110 votes. Gibson had 2,620 votes, 25.7 percent. He was followed by Kenneth Walter Long, 35, a former FBI agent and prosecutor with the North Las Vegas City attorney's office, who had 1,344 votes, 13.2 percent.
In North Las Vegas where six candidates ran for a four-year term for Department 2, the June 7 general election will include Willia Chaney, 62, executive director of Smart Start Child Care Center and a beauty salon owner. She received 1,649 votes or 40 percent.
Chaney will face Sean Hoeffgen, 36, an attorney who spends half of his time representing defendants in Las Vegas Municipal Court. He captured 831 votes, 20.2 percent.
Coming in third was Keith Buck, 45, the husband of North Las Vegas Councilwoman Shari Buck, with 702 votes, 17 percent. In fourth place was Christopher Larotonda, 49, a North Las Vegas Police lieutenant, with 556 votes, 13.5 percent.
Robert Nelson-Kortland, 65, a staff attorney for Las Vegas Senior Citizens Law Center, finished fifth with 216 votes, 5.2 percent. Marcia Daines, 56, a administrative assistant in the Las Vegas Municipal Court who unsuccessfully tried to get her name removed from the ballot and didn't campaign, finished last with 158 votes, 3.8 percent.
In the Henderson race, Miller was in third place behind Gibson most of the night. He trailed by 262 votes after early voting was tallied.
"I was very worried until we got 60 percent of the vote in," Miller said. "I thought I had a chance because I was only 20 votes behind then."
Miller led the way in the Henderson race by raising more than $32,000. Hampton raised $19,300, while Gibson raised $28,600.
Hampton didn't get to enjoy her first-place showing because she, her husband and 19-month son had a fever that kept them bed-ridden since the weekend. She said she was elated nonetheless with her strong showing.
"I am absolutely thrilled," Hampton said. "You don't ever know what will happen in these kind of races. I can't say I was expecting this, but I was very hopeful. I knocked on a lot of doors and worked hard."
Gibson said he's disappointed because he worked very hard, but called it a rewarding experience and hasn't ruled out running for office again. He said he couldn't be happier for Miller, a family friend who worked with his dad, David Gibson Sr., in the Clark County public defender's office. He said he will endorse Miller, a long-time role model.
"It is a little easier losing to a family friend," Gibson said. "I wish him nothing but the best. I admire him. He does a great job."
Gibson said running on the same ballot with his uncle may have been a hindrance and made him a target because people may not have wanted to vote twice for the same name.
"The people of Henderson spoke loudly," Gibson said. "I lost tonight, but my uncle won. I am happy about that. I ran a good race and left it all on the table."
Chaney, by far, raised the most money for the North Las Vegas race with more than $61,000. Most of that, however, was loans she made to her own campaign by using her savings. Hoeffgen was second in fundraising with nearly $32,000.
"We went for broke in the primary thinking we could get 50 percent plus one," Chaney said. "We worked hard, and it paid off."
Hoeffgen said he's excited about his finish and that the race was a testament that the two candidates who worked the hardest made it to the general election.
A backdrop for the North Las Vegas race is that unlike Las Vegas and Henderson, it doesn't require its Municipal Court judges be attorneys. Legislation pending in the Nevada Legislature could address the issue, but it wouldn't affect those elected to the bench this year.
Hoeffgen said he will press the issue in the campaign, while Chaney said voters tell her it is more important judges have common sense than be attorneys.
Some 4,117 votes out of 55,581 active registered voters were cast in North Las Vegas. That translates to a turnout of 7.4 percent, a number City Clerk Karen Storms called disappointing.
There was a 16.32 percent turnout for the 2003 primary when 6,406 of the 39,254 active registered voters cast ballots. There was a 20.68 percent turnout in 2001 when 7,783 of the 37,635 active registered voters cast ballots."
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