Proposal to abolish Las Vegas constable’s office advances

Clark County commissioners are moving forward with a proposal to abolish the Las Vegas Township constable’s office.

Commissioner Chris Giunchigliani said Tuesday that the board needs to look at whether the office’s duties — serving paperwork and carrying out evictions — are still needed.

She said the idea wasn’t driven by the first term of Constable John Bonaventura, who has been heavily criticized since he took office in 2011.

“It really is taking a step back and taking a look at why do we do this in Southern Nevada,” she said.

Bonaventura told commissioners he opposes the proposal.

“We’re against abolishing the office. We feel it’s a circumvention of the voters,” he said. “If somebody doesn’t like you ... do you think it would be right to abolish (your) commissioner district?”

Under the proposal, the office would be abolished at the end of Bonaventura’s term, at 11:59 p.m. on Jan. 4, 2015. But several details are unclear, such as who would pick up the office’s responsibilities.

The Metropolitan Police Department has a civil division that serves papers, including restraining orders and protective orders. But Sheriff Doug Gillespie hasn’t publicly weighed in on how the proposal would affect his department. Last week his spokesman said the sheriff “wasn’t part of the discussion” on the proposal

Bonaventura said he spoke to Gillespie, and “he told me personally he doesn’t need or want the extra work.”

Giunchigliani, however, said she spoke to the sheriff and received a different response.

“I wouldn’t have recommended this if the sheriff didn’t think there was a way to make it work,” she said.

A public hearing on abolishing the constable’s office is scheduled for the board’s March 19 meeting.

Two legislators have talked about introducing legislation that would rein in constables — or do away with the offices altogether.

Of the 14 constables offices across the state, 11 are in Southern Nevada. And they have unusual power. There are nearly no requirements for the elected jobs, and they can appoint almost anyone to become a deputy with full law enforcement powers.

Bonaventura on Tuesday urged several of his employees to speak on the office’s behalf, including Spencer Judd, a lawyer at the center of controversy over the past several months.

Bonaventura last year asked commissioners to pay his legal bills for a lawsuit he filed against his counterparts in Laughlin and Henderson for encroaching on his territory.

When the county refused to pay the fees, including fees to Judd, Bonaventura deputized Judd and another lawyer and found a way to circumvent the county and pay them.

Judd on Tuesday told commissioners he was both a deputy for the office and a lawyer. Sisolak asked whether he had any law enforcement background, and Judd said he didn’t.

Judd said the board shouldn’t pay attention to the “media hype” surrounding Bonaventura and his activities.

Bonaventura has come under fire for several reasons, ranging from a controversial foray into reality television to hiring deputies with questionable backgrounds.

Last week he was arrested by Nevada Highway Patrol troopers on suspicion of driving under the influence of alcohol. Bonaventura disputes that he was over the legal limit for driving and contends the arrest was a “setup” by his critics in county government.

After Tuesday’s meeting, Bonaventura said he has proof he wasn’t over the legal limit; however, he couldn’t provide it at the time.

“That was a sham deal,” he said. “It’s all going to come out.”

If the county abolished the office, it wouldn’t be the first time. In the 1990s, the county got rid of it after the then-constable pleaded guilty to federal charges.

The board re-created it two years later.

Bonaventura said after the meeting that if the board got rid of the office in two years, it would have to re-create it again.

Several of the office’s employees pleaded not to have the office abolished. One was almost critical of Bonaventura.

“There is some things — the actions of this constable — that I cannot support,” Deputy Jeff Hammack said. “But I can support this office, and I think it provides a very important service for the citizens of Clark County.”

Henderson Constable Earl Mitchell, whose office was sued by Bonaventura in the border-hopping dispute, said Bonaventura should be removed, but the office should not be abolished.

“This rare abuse of power needs to be prevented in the future,” Mitchell said. “It’s imperative that the office itself remain there. ... It does or has saved taxpayers money.”

Contact reporter Lawrence Mower at lmower@reviewjournal.com or 702-405-9781.