Las Vegas Sun

March 29, 2024

Bill to eliminate Las Vegas Constable’s Office is defeated

County Commissioner's Meeting

Mona Shield Payne

Constable John Bonaventura is followed by the media following the vote in favor of an ordinance to abolish the Las Vegas Township Constable’s Office after the Clark County Commission meeting at the Clark County Government Center in Las Vegas Tuesday, March 19, 2013.

County Commissioner's Meeting

Constable John Bonaventura, right, listens to commissioners discuss an ordinance to abolish the Las Vegas Township Constable's Office during the Clark County Commission meeting at the Clark County Government Center in Las Vegas Tuesday, March 19, 2013. Launch slideshow »

The bill to abolish the office of troubled Las Vegas Constable John Bonaventura has quietly died in the Senate Committee of Government Affairs without a vote Friday.

“I didn’t have the votes to get it out,” said Committee Chairman David Parks, D-Las Vegas. He said committee members had reservations about eliminating the elective office in the middle of Bonaventura’s term, which ends in January 2015.

The Clark County Commission has voted to scrap the office at the end of Bonaventura’s term. The bill would have eliminated the office July 1.

Bonaventura submitted written testimony to the committee calling Senate Bill 294 by Senate Minority Leader Michael Roberson a “witch-hunt against a single individual that is destined to cost the public millions of dollars.”

The office is self-supporting and its elimination would mean a minimum revenue loss of $4 million to $6 million to Clark County, his statement said.

He said the bill goes against the will of the voters who elected him.

He has been accused of sparking wrongful termination allegations, failing to follow the direction of the Clark County Commission and other improper behavior.

Clark County Sheriff Doug Gillespie testified earlier this week that he was ready to assume the duties of the office with his staff either in July or October.

Join the Discussion:

Check this out for a full explanation of our conversion to the LiveFyre commenting system and instructions on how to sign up for an account.

Full comments policy