A total of six candidates with varying degrees of experience are vying for the sole Pahrump justice of the peace Department 1 seat. At least two must emerge from next month’s June 12 primary election.
The position is a non-partisan seat. Among the more notable candidates are a former Nye County commissioner, a current practicing Nevada attorney/Pahrump public defender, as well as a Nye County juvenile probation officer.
Frank Carbone
Frank Carbone is a 12-year Pahrump resident with a military background. Carbone served four years in the Air Force from 1969 to 1973. On the issue of experience, Carbone spoke about his strong work ethic over the decades, including his time as a Nye County commissioner beginning in 2013.
After retiring from the Air Force, Carbone said he has worked in the manufacturing and physical therapy industries. “I have the belief that I am a peer of the people,” he said. “I believe they deserve the kind of justice from their peer, rather than somebody else who might have a different opinion.”
Regarding the Pahrump Justice Court system, Carbone said he’s dedicated to seeing the people of Nye County get a fair trial and are treated with respect and honesty. “My No. 1 reason for seeking the job of justice of the peace is to take care of the people living in Pahrump,” he noted. “My strengths include building relationships and negotiating. I believe in striving for win-win results when people are brought before the justice court. I also believe that all possible solutions to a given situation need to be considered before ruling on a case.”
Lisa Chamlee
As a practicing Nevada attorney and local public defender, justice of the peace candidate Lisa Chamlee’s experience speaks for itself.
She began her legal career years ago as a law clerk for a Las Vegas family law firm. Over time, Chamlee served as a student attorney at the Boyd Law School Thomas and Mack Family Justice Clinic where she secured real-life legal experience in the Clark County Family Court system.
She was admitted into the Nevada Bar back in 2011, where she practiced in the area of family law, representing countless clients over the years as a Nye County public defender.
During her time as a Nye County public defender, Chamlee was contracted to represent her clients, where she would regularly put in upward of 70 to 75 hours each week.
She also spoke about some of the problems associated with legal systems in rural communities and how populations can suffer from a lack of public resources.
“I think that the judges and the attorneys here are dedicated to making sure that we do the best that we can with the resources we have,” she said. “I think there also needs to be a greater allocation of resources to ensure that people in the criminal justice system have access to those resources. That also goes for our indigent population who are caught up in litigation and don’t have access or resources to hire a private counsel.”
Randy Jones
While Chamlee worked to represent clients mired in the legal justice system, justice of the peace candidate Randy Jones’ work focused on the juvenile justice system within Nye County for nearly two decades as a juvenile probation officer.
Jones, a 20-year resident of Pahrump, earned a degree in sociology at Albany State University, back in 1977. He said he was working for Nevada Business Services providing job training to individuals not long after arriving in Pahrump. “It was very similar to what the NyE Community Coalition is doing right now,” he said. “That was the program that I brought here. I simply want to work and serve the people of Pahrump. That is my reason for running for justice of the peace.”
On the issue of experience, Jones said his time at the probation office provided him with great experience in the justice system.
“Experience helps in terms of understanding the various cases as well as the individuals you may be dealing with,” he said. “I spent a large portion of my time as the Fifth Judicial District Court juvenile probation officer. Spending all that time in court is where I’ve learned a lot about the court procedures and exactly what the judges do. You see the whole scenario of the justice system when you spend as much time in court as I have.”
Warren Pawliuk
Born in Canada, Pahrump justice of the peace candidate Warren Pawliuk says he’s an American by choice, rather than birth. Pawliuk, whose campaign slogan is fair and impartial Justice, became a resident of Pahrump in 2002.
The retired U.S. Air Force flight nurse holds numerous degrees in the field of nursing.He’s a tenured professor of nursing at the College of Southern Nevada, with more than 35 years of experience in the field.
Along with his education, and a strong background in law enforcement, Pawliuk believes he’s an ideal candidate for the Pahrump justice of the peace position.
Pawliuk, who moved to Southern Nevada from the San Antonio area, considers himself a self-funded candidate with no political handlers, PAC and no nepotistic conflicts that could impair fair and impartial justice. “I still retain my Texas peace officer’s license,” he said. “I did six years down there, and three years of that I served as a deputy constable in the Justice of the Peace Court in San Antonio. I have over 3,000 hours of continued education there, and I have an advanced peace officer certificate. I feel that I am a fair and ethical person and it’s something that I wanted to do in the past. I believe that with my experience and my ethical background, I would do a good job.”
Additionally, Pawliuk said he’s served close to 30 years in the military. “I am a veteran of the Vietnam conflict, Operation Enduring Freedom, and Operation Iraqi Freedom,” he said. “I’m also a life member of the VFW and the Disabled American Veterans. I’m also a volunteer firefighter/paramedic, so I have pretty much dedicated my life to serving other people. As far as my education, I have an associate’s degree, a bachelor’s degree, a master’s degree in nursing and public health.”
Others
Richard Hamilton and Robert Martin, did not respond to requests for comments on their respective candidacies.