He’s laid off but still smiling

It's hard to feel lucky when you've just lost your job. But Michael Davidson recognizes his good fortune.

"A lot of people who got laid off don't have the financial resources I do," said Davidson, who until last week was a chief deputy city attorney for North Las Vegas. "I'm a lucky guy."

Davidson's was one of 204 positions the financially strapped city targeted for elimination to save the additional $33.4 million it needs to make it through fiscal year 2011.

Layoffs are hitting most city departments and will be completed mid-June.

Davidson, who also happens to be running for District Court judge, learned Thursday afternoon that he had lost his job as the city's chief prosecutor. He received a check that covered his salary through June 18, plus about two months' worth of accrued vacation pay. He earned about $145,000 a year, he said.

"I feel sorry for those folks who aren't walking away with the size of check I'm walking away with," he said.

Though Davidson, 56, was "surprised and disappointed," he took the news in stride. "You don't take it personally," he said Monday. "It happens in high-profile positions. Sometimes it's politics. In this case, it's money."

But Davidson, who worked for the city more than five years, did take issue with the way the layoff was handled. He was told to hand in his keys and employee identification access badge before leaving for the day Thursday, he said.

"It was disrespectful," he said. "Am I really the kind of guy who goes postal? Haven't I earned a little respect?"

Because Davidson was in an "appointed," non-union position, he was an "at-will" employee, and as such his employment could be terminated "with or without cause," said Juliet Casey, spokeswoman for the city.

Davidson's position was targeted for elimination as part of the city's layoff process that followed a series of budget reduction meetings to assess priorities and after consultations with department directors, she said.

Long-time North Las Vegas Municipal Court Judge Warren VanLandschoot said the city is losing "a big asset" in Davidson.

"He's well-versed in civil, criminal, arbitration, you name it," the judge said. "He did all the administrative work, so that will put a burden on other prosecutors," of which there are five.

Previously, Davidson worked in private practice and served as assistant district attorney for Clark County. He ran unsuccessfully for district attorney in 2002.

North Las Vegas, which is dealing with falling tax revenues, has undergone five rounds of budget cuts totaling $51 million since December 2008.

For now, Davidson hopes to find a local law firm that will hire him "for the next seven to eight months," assuming his bid for the Department 30 judgeship is successful. And he plans to spend his unexpected free time campaigning.

"I've spent my life litigating big cases," he said. "In essence, I've been training to be a district court judge for 30 years."

He's proud of the work he did for North Las Vegas.

"My charge was to build a respected prosecution office," he said. "And we did."

Contact reporter Lynnette Curtis at lcurtis
@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0285.