EDITORIAL: Former elected officials hoping to trick voters

Name recognition paves the way to elected office. Voters’ short memories sometimes come into play, too. Robert Eliason is hoping the former works in his favor in his campaign for North Las Vegas constable, and Lisa Brown is counting on the latter in her run for Family Court, Department T.

Neither of them should get your vote.

Ms. Brown’s first run as a judge wasn’t pretty. She won election twice and served on the Family Court bench from 2001 to 2008, despite posting some of the worst scores in the lengthy history of the Review-Journal Judicial Performance Evaluation. In 2006, a meager 29 percent of lawyers said she should be retained. Based largely on that brutal score, voters fired her in 2008.

Undeterred, Ms. Brown now wants the seat of Judge Gayle Nathan, whose own poor performance led to her ouster in June’s primary election. But voters will wind up with an even worse judge should they make the mistake of returning Ms. Brown to the bench, especially since her opponent, Maria Maskall — who has been practicing family law since 1997 — is a far better candidate. The Review-Journal endorses Maria Maskall for Family Court Department T.

Mr. Eliason is also trying to sneak back into office. The constable has an important job in local municipalities, and as John Bonaventura proved during his reckless stint as Las Vegas constable the past four years, the position requires a competent, capable person — and someone with law enforcement experience. Mr. Eliason is not that someone. He’s a former North Las Vegas city councilman who was term-limited out of office last year. The Democrat hopes his name recognition will lead to a soft landing as the replacement for North Las Vegas Constable Herb Brown, who is retiring. Mr. Eliason refused to meet with the Review-Journal editorial board to discuss his candidacy.

On the other hand, Jon Martin, the Republican candidate for North Las Vegas constable, has 25 years of experience with the North Las Vegas Police Department, including 20 years as a detective. He’s more than qualified to serve court papers and eviction notices, and keep the peace while carrying out those duties. Mr. Martin told the Review-Journal editorial board he would protect the rights of property owners while treating people with respect. His experience certainly suggests he’ll do just that. The Review-Journal endorses Jon Martin for North Las Vegas constable.

Cast an informed ballot.

▶ ON THE WEB: For a complete list of the Review-Journal editorial board’s 2014 election endorsements, go to www.reviewjournal.com/endorsements. The complete list of candidate endorsements will be published Nov. 2.