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At 10:37 a.m.(LV) on 090108 For "Lisa Kent for 2008 Family Court Judge" (g.c.):

Aug. 13, 2008
Copyright ?Las Vegas Review-Journal

CORRECTION -- 08/15/08 -- A Wednesday article about primary election results for Family Court judge races should have said that Carl Piazza, a candidate for the Department Q seat, has been practicing law for 36 years. He has been practicing law in Nevada for nearly 30 years.

Two candidates advance to vie for embattled Judge Del Vecchio's seat
By LYNNETTE CURTIS
REVIEW-JOURNAL

Allegations of sexual harassment and other misconduct against Family Court Judge Nicholas Del Vecchio might have been the nail in the coffin of his re-election bid.

The embattled Department K judge didn't earn enough votes Tuesday to advance to the fall general election.

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Instead, Cynthia Giuliani and Vincent Ochoa will compete for the seat in November.

Giuliani hopes voters focused more on her merits than on the scandal surrounding Del Vecchio.

"I think people are realizing I have good values and will bring integrity to the bench," said the 41-year-old lawyer, who focuses on family law.

Giuliani was neck and neck with Ochoa, earning 31 percent and 32 percent, respectively, of Tuesday's votes.

Ochoa, a Notre Dame law school graduate who has been practicing in Nevada for nearly 30 years, said hard work and experience, primarily in Family Court, earned him votes.

He was surprised how many people voted for Del Vecchio given the scandal surrounding the judge. Del Vecchio earned 23 percent of the vote.

"I don't know how many (voters) actually are aware of what he's accused of," Ochoa said.

Del Vecchio has been accused of sexually harassing staff and having sex with his ex-wife's 14-year-old daughter.

The judge also is accused of taking nude photos of the girl, directing a bailiff with a part-time job with a commercial airline to get tickets for him and using racial slurs.

He declined to comment for this story.

The special prosecutor for the Nevada Commission on Judicial Discipline filed a 38-count complaint against Del Vecchio in February accusing him of, among other things, coercing his judicial assistant to have sex with him. The complaint says Del Vecchio threatened to fire the assistant, Rebecca Murray, if she stopped having sex with him.

A disciplinary hearing for Del Vecchio is tentatively scheduled for December.

In other Family Court races:

?Incumbent Lisa Kent, who garnered 35 percent of Tuesday's votes, will face Kenneth Pollock, who got 24 percent, in the general election race for Family Court Department J.

?Lawyers Gayle Beck Nathan and Mathew Harter will compete for the new Family Court Department N seat.

?Ron Israel, who has been practicing law in Nevada for 25 years, and Family Court hearing master Frank Sullivan will advance in the Family Court Department O race.

?Bryce C. Duckworth, who focuses on family law and is chairman of the state bar's Family Law Executive Council, will face Carl Piazza, who has been practicing law for nearly 30 years, for the new Family Court Department Q seat.

?Perennial candidate Bill Henderson will advance to the general contest for the Family Court Department R judgeship, having won 36 percent of the vote. Joining him will be Chuck Hoskin, who defeated Fernando Guzman by the slimmest of margins.

?Incumbent candidates for Family Court departments H and M each ran unopposed and needed just one vote each to be elected outright. They will not appear on the general election ballot. Art Richie won Department H, and William Potter won Department M.

Apr. 04, 2007
Copyright © Las Vegas Review-Journal

Council members, Goodman win re-election outright
Reese, Tarkanian easily victorious in their Las Vegas ward races
By DAVID McGRATH SCHWARTZ
REVIEW-JOURNAL 2007 Municipal Elections
News & voter info

[[[Las Vegas Mayor Oscar Goodman shares a laugh with showgirl Porsha Revesz and Elvis impersonator Jesse Garon during the mayor's election night party at downtown's Ice House Lounge. Goodman won a third and final term with 84 percent of the vote, less than his share of the vote four years ago and below his goal of 90 percent.
Photo by K.M. Cannon.1]]]

Las Vegas council members Lois Tarkanian and Gary Reese, like the eminently popular Mayor Oscar Goodman, clobbered their challengers to win re-election outright in Tuesday's primary election.

Tarkanian took home 57 percent of the vote to the 27 percent of her nearest challenger, police officer and former sheriff candidate Laurie Bisch. Reese won 86 percent of the vote and Goodman 84 percent, in an election in which one vote over 50 percent was needed to avoid a runoff.

Goodman, 68, and Reese, 65, had been expected to win easily, but even Tarkanian was surprised at her margin of victory.

"Truth and justice is alive in Ward 1," said Tarkanian, 72, who represents the ward. "They didn't fall for all that slime."

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In the 10-person race for the Ward 5 seat vacated by Lawrence Weekly, Ricki Barlow and Stacie Truesdell won 43 percent and 29 percent of the vote, respectively, to advance to the June 5 general election.

Total turnout in Tuesday's municipal primary elections across Clark County was 15.3 percent of eligible registered voters. Turnout was 18.3 percent four years ago, the last time Las Vegans voted for a mayor.

In other Las Vegas Valley races, North Las Vegas incumbent Councilwoman Shari Buck sailed into a third and final term as Ward 4's representative. In Henderson, Andy Hafen narrowly won a sixth term on the Henderson City Council, while voters chose Gerri Schroder to replace longtime Councilwoman Amanda Cyphers.

In the race for the Las Vegas Municipal Court Department 6 judgeship, Lynn Avants, a 37-year-old deputy public defender, and 42-year-old lawyer Martin Hastings got the most votes and will face off in the June 5 general election.

Goodman won his third and final four-year term with his next nearest competitor, council critic and former entertainer Tom McGowan, getting 7 percent of the vote.

For any other politician, that might have been cause to celebrate. But at his campaign party at downtown's Ice House Lounge, which featured a showgirl and Elvis impersonator, Goodman made a sour face when he heard early results indicating he would not approach 90 percent.

"It is what it is," he said. "We're surrounded by great people tonight and are having a great time."

Goodman had gotten nearly 86 percent of the vote four years ago and was privately telling people he was gunning for 90 percent this time.

In the Ward 1 race, polls by both campaigns had Tarkanian leading throughout. But with two solid opponents able to raise money, some thought Tarkanian would not avoid a June runoff.

Tarkanian, who was criticized by Bisch for maverick stances on the council, said voters did not believe the negative mailers sent against her.

"Voters want someone who asks question, who's not voting the way everybody else votes," Tarkanian said. "This is an affirmation of that kind of independent position."

Bisch said low voter turnout hurt her.

"Tarkanian has been in Las Vegas longer than I've been," she said. "People in a lot bigger numbers said they supported me. A lot just didn't show up."

Those who did show up at the polls said electing council members is important because they deal with issues such as traffic, crime and the quality of parks.

"I have a vested interest in the neighborhood," said Bill Cruz, voting at Wasden Elementary School in Ward 1.

Dirk Ravenholt, also voting at Wasden, said that lower seats could be a jumping-off point for higher political office, pointing to former Municipal Court judges now on the state Supreme Court.

Bisch spent the day sitting on the open bed of a truck across the street from Wasden Elementary, waving at voters and talking to them as they walked to and from the polls.

"This is grass-roots politics," she said.

Bisch had not called Tarkanian to concede late Tuesday night and continued with one of her campaign themes even after the race was decided.

"Not a whole lot has been done in neighborhoods and Ward 1," Bisch said.

In Ward 5, 10 candidates faced off, nearly all jumping into the race after former Councilman Lawrence Weekly received an appointment to the Clark County Commission. Many contenders said they would not have filed if Weekly had sought re-election.

With Barlow, 35, and Truesdell, 26, the candidates were former Assemblyman Gene Collins, the Rev. Marion Bennett, former city worker Richard Blue, Sandra Summers-Armstrong, Katherine "Katie" Duncan, Jeffrey Loveall, Earnestine Howell and Marcia Washington.

Collins finished a distant third to Barlow and Truesdell, with 6 percent of the vote.

While Barlow and Truesdell had hundreds of thousands of dollars in campaign contributions, the rest of the field struggled to raise significant amounts of money.

Nov. 09, 2006
Copyright © Las Vegas Review-Journal

Buckley breaks ground as Assembly speaker
By ED VOGEL
REVIEW-JOURNAL CAPITAL BUREAU

[[[Nevada Democratic Party Chairman and Clark County Commissioner Tom Collins stands Tuesday night with Jennifer Simich of Las Vegas, left, and Assembly Majority Leader Barbara Buckley, D-Las Vegas, during the Democratic Party post-election gathering at Caesars Palace.
Photo by K.M. Cannon.]]]

Barbara Buckley, a 46-year-old lawyer and veteran Democratic legislator from Las Vegas, was unanimously elected speaker of the Assembly on Wednesday night, becoming the first woman to hold the post.

Buckley has been an assemblywoman since 1995 and majority leader since 2001.

As speaker, Buckley will set the agenda for her party and decide who leads and sits on Assembly committees. She said she will announce those appointments in about 10 days.

Assembly Democrats have a long agenda for the 2007 Legislature that includes phasing in full-day kindergarten in schools throughout the state.

"Full-day kindergarten has been shown to improve student achievement," Buckley said.

Assembly Democrats also will seek an increase in teacher salaries because "teachers don't make enough to purchase houses," Buckley said.

The Democrats' agenda also includes a goal of making the state a leader in alternative energy development, she said.

Buckley also noted that the state has the fourth highest percentage of people without health insurance, saying that something must be done to improve that standing.

During Tuesday's election, the Democrats picked up an additional Assembly seat to increase their majority over the Republicans to 27-15. Assemblywoman Sheila Leslie, D-Reno, described the mood as "jubilant" at the MGM meeting room in Las Vegas where the Democratic members of the Assembly selected Buckley by acclamation during a private caucus.

Buckley is the executive director of Clark County Legal Services. She might be best known for her efforts in 2005 to set up a system to help Nevadans secure lower costs prescription drugs from Canada. She also sponsored the bill limiting interest rates and penalties that can be charged by payday loan companies.

Buckley's elevation to Assembly speaker has been in little doubt since the end of the 2005 Legislature when Speaker Richard Perkins, D-Henderson, announced that he would not seek re-election and urged members to name Buckley as his replacement.

Assembly Republicans will meet today in Reno and are expected to name Assemblyman Garn Mabey, R-Las Vegas, as their leader.

Nov. 09, 2006
Copyright © Las Vegas Review-Journal

Some Nevadans win, some lose in new Congress
Democrats, Republicans vow to work together
By STEVE TETREAULT
STEPHENS WASHINGTON BUREAU

[[[Rep. Jon Porter
Now minority member]]]

WASHINGTON -- When the new House convenes in January, Nevada lawmakers will face a landscape turned upside down or right-side up, depending on their party affiliation.

Tuesday's elections thrust Democrats into control for the first time since 1994, long before anyone in Nevada's House delegation took office.

Rep. Shelley Berkley, a Democrat, stands to gain a stronger voice as part of the majority caucus in her fifth term. Berkley said she is in line to become chairwoman of a subcommittee that will form veterans benefit bills.

Conversely, Republican Rep. Jon Porter, who is in his third term, moves closer to the back benches as a member of the minority. He will lose the chairmanship of a government reform subcommittee that he used as a platform against the Yucca Mountain nuclear waste project.

Porter also might return under a cloud as authorities look into allegations by a former staff aide that he made campaign fundraising calls from his offices in Washington and Henderson, in possible violation of federal law.

Dean Heller, who won a freshman term Tuesday from the Northern Nevada-based 2nd Congressional District, also begins a House career in the Republican minority.

Heller, Nevada's secretary of state, said Wednesday that he was not sure what to expect when he travels to Washington next week for orientation. He said he would seek a seat on the Resources Committee, which handles public land, conservation, water resources and American Indian bills.

"I would have anticipated my job would be easier had I been in the majority, but I think Nevada's agenda will be in good hands," said Heller, who added that he fielded congratulatory calls from Berkley and Sen. Harry Reid, D-Nev., after his victory.

Berkley said Wednesday that she planned a bid to win a seat on the House Ways and Means Committee, the influential panel that handles taxes, trade and the government health insurance programs.

She said she was hoping that Reid, who will be the Senate majority leader, will put in a word for her with Rep. Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., who is set to be the next House speaker. The Berkley-Pelosi relationship became strained for a time when the Nevadan backed a Pelosi rival in a 2001 leadership contest.

"I would say my relationship with the speaker-in-waiting has improved dramatically over the past few years," said Berkley, who served party leaders in the Democrats' whip organization this Congress.

"Everyone knows I am a hard worker," she said.

Porter said he did not expect that new leaders of the House Government Reform Committee will continue his efforts to probe into the Energy Department's management of the Yucca Mountain Project.

As subcommittee chairman, Porter obtained and made public explosive e-mails written by U.S. Geological Survey hydrologists that suggested falsification of Yucca quality assurance documents, and he held several follow-up hearings on the topic.

"I am hoping that whoever is chairman will continue what we started," Porter said. "But I don't sense a real appetite to investigate Yucca Mountain. I am realistic."

Porter said Wednesday that he had heard "not a word" from the U.S. Attorney's office or from the FBI on allegations raised by former staffer Jim Shepard that he improperly made fundraising calls from his government offices on at least five dates in the spring.

Shepard produced staff e-mails in which the calls were discussed. U.S. Attorney Daniel Bogden in Nevada asked the FBI to review a Democratic Party request for an investigation.

"I am anxious to have this investigation and will do whatever I can to get it behind us," said Porter, who maintained that he had schedules and documents to rebut the claim. "I am not worried about it."

It was no secret that Berkley and Republican Rep. Jim Gibbons did not get along, sometimes causing friction within the delegation. Gibbons was elected governor Tuesday.

The members of the incoming Congress said they expect to work well together.

"Actually I prefer that atmosphere," Porter said. "There are projects in which the parties work together."

"Look, Jon Porter and I have always worked well together, and Dean Heller is a good acquaintance of mine," Berkley said. "I think the delegation will work better now. I will share all my power with them for the betterment of the state."

Democrats taking control in contests for state offices
By ED VOGEL
REVIEW-JOURNAL CAPITAL BUREAU

[[[Kate Marshall
State treasurer]]]
[[[Kim Wallin
Leading race for controller]]]
[[[Catherine Cortez Masto
Attorney general]]]
[[[Ross Miller
Secretary of state]]]

CARSON CITY -- Led by Catherine Cortez Masto in the attorney general's race, Democrats were sweeping to victories over Republicans on Tuesday in the races for four statewide constitutional offices. Only one Republican candidate was engaged in a close contest.

Cortez Masto was defeating Republican Don Chairez by more than 20 percentage points in the first statewide race featuring competition between Hispanic candidates.

With most ballots counted, she had picked up nearly 60 percent of the vote, compared with 35 percent for Chairez.

Democrat Ross Miller fooled the pollsters by scoring a decisive 49 percent to 41 percent victory over Republican Danny Tarkanian in the race for secretary of state. Miller is the son of former Gov. Bob Miller, and Tarkanian's father is ex-UNLV basketball coach Jerry Tarkanian.

Democrat Kate Marshall built up a big 48 percent to 42 percent lead over Republican Mark DeStefano in the state treasurer race. Democrat Kim Wallin held a 45 percent to 44 percent lead over Republican Steve Martin in the controller's race.

Martin had been appointed controller by Gov. Kenny Guinn in July after the death of Controller Kathy Augustine.

Republicans had held all four offices since 2003.

"I worked hard for it," Cortez Masto said about her victory. "I was out there for a year, traveling from Winnemucca to Elko to Battle Mountain to talk about the issues. I wanted to listen to people and hear what they had to say."

The effort paid off as Cortez Masto even bested Chairez in Republican strongholds such as Washoe and Douglas counties.

She raised nearly 10 times more campaign contributions than Chairez and blanketed television with her political advertisements in the final three weeks of the campaign.

"I just didn't have the money," Chairez said. "Catherine started early and got the endorsements and money, and it was hard to make up ground."

Despite his big lead, Miller was not about to make his victory speech until every vote was counted.

"We obviously are very encouraged," Miller said. "We ran an aggressive campaign. His name recognition was something we had to overcome."

Miller said the fact he grew up in Carson City during the 10 years his father was governor might have helped win Northern Nevada. Returns showed Miller beating Tarkanian by large majorities in Washoe County and in Carson City.

Tarkanian conceded defeat, saying Miller's edge in Northern Nevada was something he could not overcome.

"I don't have any regrets," Tarkanian said. "We worked as hard as we could. It just wasn't good enough. When I played basketball for my father, he said play as hard as you can and leave nothing on the court. Then, when it is over, hold your head high, and I am holding my head high now."

Marshall would not declare herself the victor in the treasurer's race, though she had a big lead and was winning both in Clark and Washoe counties.

"I am honored by the vote," Marshall said.

DeStefano raised more than $1 million and outspent her 5 to 1.

"It looks like I am repeating what I did in the primary, but I am not predicting it yet," Marshall said.

Nov. 08, 2006
Copyright © Las Vegas Review-Journal

Supreme Court's Becker falls to Saitta; Douglas retains seat
Political consultant says justice hurt by Guinn v. Legislature ruling in 2003
By CARRI GEER THEVENOT
REVIEW-JOURNAL

[[[Nancy Saitta]]]
[[[Michael Douglas]]]
[[[Michael Cherry]]]

Nevada Supreme Court Justice Nancy Becker was headed for defeat Tuesday night amid backlash from her role in a controversial decision three years ago.

Of those who sided with the majority in the 2003 Guinn v. Legislature ruling, Becker was the first to run for re-election. As of 11:30 p.m., she was losing to Clark County District Judge Nancy Saitta in the Seat G race.

"I think that it was a very tough race," political consultant Dan Hart said. "I think Justice Becker got hurt by the Guinn decision, and I think Nancy Saitta ran a very effective campaign."

Hart ran the campaign of Justice Michael Douglas, who prevailed over Clark County Family Court Judge Cynthia "Dianne" Steel in the race for Seat F. Clark County District Judge Michael Cherry ran unopposed for Seat C on the Supreme Court.

Becker had been on the defense in her re-election campaign for her part in two controversial Supreme Court decisions. In 2003, she was one of six justices who ruled in Guinn v. Legislature that a constitutional mandate to fund education took precedence over a two-thirds vote requirement for lawmakers to raise taxes. Douglas was not on the court at the time.

The Legislature did approve an $833 million tax increase by the two-thirds vote requirement, ending a deadlock, but the court decision was criticized as a form of judicial activism. The Supreme Court reversed its decision in September.

Hart said he is not sure the reversal helped Becker. "In some ways, that only called attention to it," he said.

Becker also authored a decision in 2003 in an eminent domain case involving Las Vegas property owner Carol Pappas. The 5-2 ruling upheld the taking of Pappas' land for a parking garage for the Fremont Street Experience. The Pappas family settled with Las Vegas in 2004 for $4.5 million.

With 1,655 out of 1,913 precincts reporting, Saitta had captured 47 percent of the vote, while Becker received 38 percent. Another 15 percent voted for "none of these candidates."

"When a special-interest group targets you, and they have a lot more money than you do, they can put a lot of false and misleading commercials on the air, and there's not a lot I can do to compete with that," Becker said Tuesday night.

The justice said she was targeted by "a group of trial lawyers who make their money from eminent domain cases and some attorneys who've lost unanimous decisions of the court."

"They misrepresented to the public that I was responsible for taxes being raised," she said. "That, of course, is a complete falsehood."

Saitta, 55, said Becker's defeat was the result of more than one or two rulings. "There's been a long line of decisions that have not been good for this state, and I think the people are responding to that record," she said.

Becker, 51, said she is proud of her career but has no plans to run for office again.

"I'm not going to predict what I'm going to do 10 years from now," she said.

Becker was elected to the Supreme Court in 1998. She previously spent 10 years as a Clark County district judge.

Saitta, who formerly was the state's children's advocate and senior deputy attorney general, was elected to the District Court bench in 1998.

In the other Supreme Court race, with 1,650 precincts out of 1,913 precincts reporting, Douglas had received 49 percent of the vote, while Steel received 36 percent and another 15 percent chose "none of these candidates."

Douglas, 58, was appointed in March 2004 to fill the vacancy left by the death of Justice Myron Leavitt. He defeated Las Vegas attorney Joel Hansen later that year for the right to serve out the remaining two years of Leavitt's term.

Steel, 53, first ran for a Supreme Court seat in 2004, when she sought the seat vacated by Justice Miriam Shearing. Although Steel survived the primary election that year, she lost in the general election to Jim Hardesty.

Douglas served as a Clark County district judge from 1996 to 2004. He previously worked for 11 years as a Clark County deputy district attorney. He spent a year in the family support division of the district attorney's office before moving to the civil division.

Steel ran unsuccessfully for a Clark County Family Court seat in 1992, two years after receiving her law degree.

She was elected to the Assembly in 1994 but resigned in February 1996 to become chief of staff for then-Lt. Gov. Lonnie Hammargren. Later that year, Steel was elected to a new seat in Family court.

Nov. 08, 2006
Copyright © Las Vegas Review-Journal

Halverson, Johnson, Williams win District Court seats

Newcomer takes race from ex-Family Court judge
By K.C. HOWARD
REVIEW-JOURNAL

[[[Elizabeth Halverson]]]
[[[Susan Johnson]]]
[[[William Potter]]]
[[[Tim Williams]]]

Bill Henderson has been running for a judgeship every other year since 2000, and as results trickled in Tuesday night, it looked as though he might finally win one.

But Henderson saw his slim lead over Elizabeth Halverson diminish, and late Tuesday, the race was hers.

Halverson had slightly more than 50 percent, winning by about 1,000 votes.

Halverson served as a law clerk in District Court for nearly 10 years until 2004.

For the past two years, she has been working in private practice, handling primarily divorce and real estate cases.

"I did run a grass-roots campaign, and if I win it, it'll be because people were able to come out and they got a chance to meet me," Halverson said earlier in the evening.

Henderson has spent about 20 years in private practice, handling both civil and criminal cases.

Halverson will take the new District Court Department 23 seat after Jan. 1.

In the race for the newly created District Court Department 22 seat, Susan Johnson defeated Ron Israel.

She had about 55 percent of the vote compared with Israel's 45 percent.

Both are Republicans, but Johnson had the backing of Gov. Kenny Guinn, former U.S. Sen. Richard Bryan, D-Nev., police groups, firefighters and Clark County prosecutors.

Johnson has served as an arbitrator and as a temporary judge in the District Court's Short Trial Program.

She also has served as a mediator and as a Nevada Supreme Court settlement judge.

In the race for Family Court Department M, former Family Court Judge Robert Lueck lost to William Potter.

Potter, a Henderson native with a law degree from Brigham Young University, has worked as a judge pro tem and has owned a legal practice for the past 10 years.

The final tally showed Potter ahead 55 percent to Lueck's 45 percent.

Lueck ran on a nine-point plan to make Family Court more efficient.

He said Monday that regardless of the results on Election Day, he planned to bring a bill draft to the Legislature to reform Clark County Family Court.

Potter said he planned to move cases efficiently through the system and issue common-sense rulings to help families "move on from the animosity and fighting."

District Judge Tim Williams held his seat in District Court Department 16, beating Chief Deputy Attorney General Conrad Hafen by a margin of 59 percent to 41 percent.

Guinn appointed Williams in April after District Judge John McGroarty retired.

"I guess the results kind of speak for themselves, and I'm very humbled by it," Williams said as he enjoyed the evening at home with his family. "It really gives me a lot of motivation."

Nov. 08, 2006
Copyright © Las Vegas Review-Journal

D.A. Roger wins his second term
Opponent Ferguson's performance strong
By GLENN PUIT
REVIEW-JOURNAL

District Attorney David Roger won a second term in office Tuesday night as Clark County's top prosecutor, but the race against his underdog opponent, Patrick Antonio Ferguson, was a little tighter than expected.

With all precincts reporting, Roger had 55 percent of the vote, while Ferguson received 45 percent.

Roger, a 45-year-old Republican, ran a campaign that focused almost exclusively on a tough on crime message.

Roger said the lead he held over his Democratic challenger showed that the public has confidence in his office and the job that prosecutors have done under his leadership.

"These results are a credit to the men and women of the district attorney's office," Roger said. "They come to work every day to protect and serve the people of this community."

At 10:10 p.m. Ferguson would not concede the race.

"But I acknowledge the writing is on the wall, and I'm probably going to lose by about 10 points," he said.

Ferguson was viewed as having little chance of defeating the well-financed incumbent. Ferguson had raised only about $20,000 compared with Roger's more than $1 million campaign war chest. Ferguson, 36, is a deputy attorney general who prosecutes workers' compensation cases. Ferguson had only a few radio ads on the air, and he relied on a grass-roots campaign to get his message out.

"I was outspent about 50 times over," Ferguson said. "My opponent received all the early endorsements I never even was given a shot at, and I'm gratified I made the showing I did, and that enough people did hear my message."

Roger said Ferguson's campaign consisted largely of mudslinging. Ferguson alleged the district attorney's office has been poorly run and that Roger compromised himself by accepting money from strip club owner Mike Galardi -- a charge Roger denies. Ferguson also said the district attorney's office needed to take a more aggressive stance against public corruption.

Roger countered that much of what Ferguson had said about him and the job he has done was not true. Roger said his history as a career prosecutor made him the most qualified person for the job, that he's instilled a culture of aggressive prosecutions in the office, allowing him to dramatically increase the number of criminal offenders sentenced as repeat offenders.