PHOTOS BY MARK SMITH / PVT Michael Neu is the lone practicing attorney in ther 13-way race for justice of the peace. He made the most of his experience in promoting his effort. Jim Gronemann applauds for someone leaving the stage while keeping tabs on a baseball game. Marla Zlotek, running for District 5 judge, Department 1, restrained herself in the face of several questions, recognizing the state canon restrictions on candidacies for the office. Incumbent Area 6 school board trustee and former GOP chief, Harold Tokerud, holds forth at the Maverick candidates' get-together. John Timmerman, background, moderated the event. School board hopeful Kathleen L. Bienenstein, Area 2, spoke as a relative newcomer but also as eager to serve Amargosa Valley as its trustee. Advertisement

Local candidates had plenty of opportunity to stump at Maverick's Saloon and Dance Hall Sunday afternoon.

The tables and bar were packed with both candidates and curious residents, ready to state their platforms and tackle questions from the assembled audience.

Although each candidate was generally limited to five minutes, several topics got the room buzzing with questions and comments.

Nye County Commissioner Butch Borasky took notes on each candidate from a seat in the front row and asked each the same question: "What is your plan and why should I vote for you?"

Justice of the Peace candidate Frank Furcini used his time to advocate minimum requirements to run for that position, spurring a host of questions from attendees who seemed to interpret his stance as a way to take the position out of the hands of "regular people."

This was not Furcini's intention in advocating minimum requirements; he seemed only to stress that minimum requirements would assure people of a justice of the peace with a working knowledge of the court system.

Fifth District Judge candidate Marla Zlotek did her best to field various questions from the audience but was often constrained by Canon V, the ethical code dictating how specific judicial candidates can be when running for election.

Linda DeMeo, like Furcini a candidate for Justice of the Peace, found herself answering questions about what some attendees saw as a potential conflict of interest since Nye County Sheriff Tony DeMeo is her husband.

Although Linda had requested an opinion from the Nevada Ethics Commission, which summarily ruled there was no conflict, and had the results published in a letter in various Pahrump publications, plenty of attendees still had qualms about her holding the position.

So the candidate was forced to reiterate that she voluntarily requested the opinion and could hold the office while still abiding by it.

But the event was more than just a stump fest.

After the initial question-and-answer session, people were invited to hang out at the bar and chat and get to know candidates.

And, judging by some of the questions lobbed at them, the election hopefuls got a chance to know their possible future constituents a little better as well.