Henderson City Councilman Sam Bateman seeks justice of peace position

Henderson City Councilman Sam Bateman announced Wednesday that he will run for a Henderson justice of the peace position that recently became vacant.

The seat opened after Rodney T. Burr left the county bench for a lower court position after the sitting Municipal Court judge, Diana Hampton, died in her Henderson home in March.

Clark County will hold a special election to fill Burr’s seat. The filing period runs May 23-27, and the candidates will appear on the general election ballot on Nov. 8. The winner of the election will serve the remainder of Burr’s term, which expires at the end of 2018.

The position carries a base salary of $153,441.60.

Bateman was elected as a councilman for Henderson’s Ward 4 in 2011 and was re-elected in 2015. The 38-year-old also is a prosecutor for the Clark County district attorney’s office.

“I have devoted my entire career to protecting and serving the public,” Bateman said in an email announcing his candidacy. “My work as a prosecutor, and as a councilman, has armed me with all the tools to be a successful justice of the peace — and keep Henderson among the safest communities in America.”

Burr served as a Henderson justice of the peace for 25 years. He was sworn in by the Henderson City Council Tuesday night.

With longevity pay, Burr’s justice of the peace salary was about $184,000. He will receive a salary that is $40,000 less as a municipal judge. He is eligible to collect on his public employee retirement while receiving a city paycheck, meaning his net annual income could rise by roughly $75,000.

Contact Colton Lochhead at clochhead@reviewjournal.com or 702-283-4638. Find @ColtonLochhead on Twitter.