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With the Friday filing dead line passed the election for West Wendover Justice of the Peace has been set with three candidates incumbent Reese Melville, David Wiskerchen and Brian Boatman.
The three names on the ballot also means that there will be a primary election for the bench on June 12 with the top two vote getters facing off again in November.
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Both challengers for the job have a long background in law enforcement. Wiskerchen is a sergeant with the West Wendover Police department and has served as a law enforcement officer since 1987. Boatman is currently the Juvenile probation officer at the West Wendover High School before taking that position he was also a West Wendover Police Officer.
If either of the two are elected it would buck a long standing trend in West Wendover of voters rejecting Justice of the peace candidates with police backgrounds. Over the past six elections for judge voters when given the choice between a lay candidate and someone with a back ground in law enforcement have always gone for the lay candidate, such as Melville.
The incumbent won the bench in 2006 by defeating Lara Grant who was appointed to fill the position following the death of long time Justice Georgina LaCombe who like Melville was a lay judge.
Grant an attorney who worked in the Elko DA’s office as well as the Public Defender’s office ran on the strength of her law degree and on the fact that she purchase a home in West Wendover.
Grant however did not reckon on the popularity of Melville, a former City Councilman and Mayor, Melville trounced Grant with 57 percent of the vote by echoing a promise LaCombe made in election after election that the Justice of Peace was duty bound to be an impartial referee between the defendant and the police and not favor either side in court.
In other election news, the two jurist appointed by Nevada Governor Brain Sandoval: Nancy Porter and Al Kacin to District Court #1 and #2 will face no challengers in this years election.
I have to go with Boatman on this one, the hours of his own time he has donated to start the WAIT program has won my vote. Shows a real work ethic, as well as giving my son something to do other than going out, drinking and getting into trouble. I know if a kid wants to make trouble they will, but WAIT has helped me sleep a little easier at night.
I am going to have to agree with Margaret on this one. I have met all three of these candidates and one candidate stands heads and shoulders above the rest…Brian Boatman. Brian Boatman is hard-working, enthusiastic, positive, smart, driven and a great role model. He has years of law enforcement experience both with the WWPD and as an Elko County Juvenile Probation Officer. Brian is a great example of “leading from the front.” Brian attended an underage drinking conference out of state and learned about a program that had been implemented in another area of the country to keep kids occupied on weekends and away from the disastrous influences of drugs and alcohol. Rather than sitting back and saying “what a great program,” Brian got to work creating a similar program in his own community (the WAIT program). The results, which I have observed myself, are nothing short of phenomenal! There are 80 to 110 kids at this program every night that it is offered, engaged in positive and safe recreational activities. Brian will bring this same dynamic leadership, which is sorely needed, to the Eastline Justice Court. Brian has my vote…and he should have your vote too!
I have talked to Brian Boatman. I was very impressed. I like Reese as a person but I am very disappointed in how he handled one particular case against Kip Patten. Reese I sensed that you were intimidated by him that day in your Court Room. I feel that the State put on a good case against Kip on his Assault Charge. Perhaps if more people and especially those in authority would have stood up and not been frightened and intimidated by the Pattens thing might have been different. Just a thought