2012 Voter Guide: Mesquite Justice of the Peace

A deputy city attorney and a retired lawyer are squaring off in the race to replace Ron Dodd, who is stepping down after 14 years as Mesquite justice of the peace.

Ryan Toone, 36, and Karen Beausoleil, 70, emerged from a field of seven candidates in the primary to advance to the general election.

Toone prosecutes misdemeanor cases for the city of Mesquite. He previously worked in private practice.

"I'm the only candidate in this race that has experience in the Nevada court system," Toone said.

Beausoleil received a law degree in 1994 from the University of Wyoming and practiced law for about seven years in Wyoming and Utah. She focused on family law and civil rights cases.

Justices of the peace in Clark County townships with fewer than 100,000 people, such as Mesquite, need not have law degrees or licenses. Dodd does not have a law degree.

Beausoleil, who moved to Mesquite in 2001, was Dodd's only challenger in the 2006 election.

Dodd also has held the appointed position of Mesquite municipal judge, drawing separate salaries for each of his judicial positions, since 1985. He plans to retire from both jobs at the end of the year.

Beausoleil said she would not accept the Municipal Court appointment if elected to the Justice Court seat. She views this as "double dipping" and a conflict of interest.

Toone disagrees. He said the law allows one person to hold both jobs.

In small communities such as Mesquite, justice of the peace is a part-time position, Toone said. He noted that several justices of the peace in small communities throughout the state also double as municipal judges.

Toone said he would accept the Municipal Court appointment if offered it.

"I'd like to use my background and my legal experience to serve the community on a full-time basis," he said.

Toone has worked and lived in Mesquite about four years. He is running for office for the first time.

After receiving his law degree from the University of Minnesota in 2006, Toone was admitted to the Nevada bar.

Before taking the job with the Mesquite city attorney's office, he worked for a law firm in the Las Vegas area and focused on a variety of civil issues.

Beausoleil's first career was as a teacher and school psychologist. After retiring as an educator, she went to law school.

She moved to Mesquite after retiring from the legal profession.

Beausoleil said she would bring more wisdom to the bench than Toone, who is half her age.

Contact reporter Carri Geer Thevenot at cgeer@reviewjournal.com or 702-384-8710.