Sunday, June 27, 2004
Copyright © Las Vegas Review-Journal

Bonaventure son inherits judicial race recognition

Joe M. Bonaventure stands outside the Clark County Courthouse on Friday. The son of high-profile District Court Judge Joseph Bonaventure is running for justice of the peace this November in Las Vegas Justice Court Department 9. Photo by John Gurzinski.

What's in a name?

For Joe M. Bonaventure, it might be a job as a judge.

Bonaventure is the son of District Court Judge Joseph Bonaventure, whose profile in Clark County as a jurist is unmatched.

The younger Bonaventure is running for justice of the peace in November in Las Vegas Justice Court Department 9, and some of his opponents wonder whether voters will confuse the younger Bonaventure with his father.

"I get that a lot out there, walking door to door," said Bernie Zadrowski, a Clark County prosecutor who is running for the Justice Court seat as well.

"I'm not shy in telling people who I am running against, and when I mention Joe Bonaventure, they say, `The judge from the Binion trial?' " Zadrowski said. "I tell them, `No, it's his son,' and they sort of have this perplexed look on their face. Not only do I think they (the voters) are confusing it. I know they are confusing it."

The younger Bonaventure, 28, who uses his middle initial in his political materials, has been an attorney since 2002. He acknowledges that having the same name as his father probably benefits his campaign.

"It can't hurt me ... but I'm definitely not trying to confuse people," Bonaventure said. "I've worked real hard to let people know what my qualities are."

Bonaventure said he is doing everything he can to make sure voters know they are voting for him, not his father.

"I'm my own man," he said. "I'm running on my own accomplishments."

The elder Bonaventure is one of the most recognized public figures in Southern Nevada, having presided over some of the most high-profile murder trials in the region, including that of Sandy Murphy and Rick Tabish. Murphy and Tabish are accused of killing gaming executive Ted Binion, and the case has received nationwide publicity.

Murphy and Tabish are awaiting a retrial in October.

The younger Bonaventure is one of eight candidates in the field for Department 9. A justice of the peace is sort of a judicial jack-of-all-trades, handling everything from traffic violations and civil evictions to preliminary hearings for murder cases.

Along with Zadrowski, other attorneys running for the seat are Joseph Sciscento, Michael Federico, Fernando Guzman, Lizzie R. "Liz" Hatcher, Charles A. Michalek and Deanne M. Rymarowicz.

Sciscento said he believes there may indeed be confusion. The veteran defense attorney said he has more experience than the younger Bonaventure, who has been a prosecutor for one year and a general practice attorney for nearly the same amount of time.

Sciscento has been an attorney for more than 13 years. Zadrowski has been a prosecutor for seven.

"Obviously, name recognition is one of the best things you can have in a political race," Sciscento said. "I think the public needs to be aware. If they want to vote for him, that's perfectly fine, but they should vote for the candidate based on the merits."

Sciscento questions whether Bonaventure has enough experience.

"It is very important to have experience," Sciscento said of his opponent. "You have got a lot of serious cases that begin in Justice Court."

Rymarowicz said there is no doubt Bonaventure "has name recognition due to the work of his father. But I'm confident voters can look beyond name recognition and look at all the candidates' qualifications to determine who is best for the job."

But Bonaventure said he is more than qualified because of his work as a prosecutor and a general practice attorney.

"I worked on a general track (as a prosecutor), handling preliminary hearings, misdemeanor trials, grand jury proceedings, felony jury trials," he said.

Zadrowski said when he meets face to face with voters, he sees no need to criticize Bonaventure. Instead, he simply reiterates his own seven years of prosecutorial experience.

"I've handled thousands of cases, I've done lots of jury trials," Zadrowski said. "I know the ins and outs of it."

The elder Bonaventure bristles at suggestions that his son is not qualified, or that the similarity in names is some sort of political ploy.

"If a son wants to follow in his father's footsteps and do a good job, what does he have to do, change his name?" the father said.

"Unfortunately, he's stuck with that name, and that's the end of it," he said. "I think he is qualified, and it's up to voters."