Constable has no one to blame but those who voted for him

Most of his problems are the fault of the news media. Or county conspirators. Or other constables. Or women who lie about being harassed by him.

That Feb. 12 DUI arrest of his? Without disclosing any proof, he claims county officials set him up.

That lie when he told the Nevada Highway Patrol trooper that he hadn’t had any alcohol that day, when he had? He’s not explaining why his version of what happened on his DUI stop was repudiated by the trooper’s video. Maybe the devil made him do it.

District Attorney Steve Wolfson’s decision not to charge him doesn’t cleanse Bonaventura’s status as a proven liar.

The countless complaints about his office’s lack of professionalism? The news media’s fault. Or media hype, take your choice.

Those were the most frequent explanations he gave to county commissioners Feb. 19 when the ordinance to abolish his office was introduced. The ordinance will be heard at 10 a.m. March 10 in commission chambers. Come one, come all, to see him explain why all the negatives against his office are not his fault.

“The buck stops here” is not Bonaventura’s motto.

His hire of someone with a criminal background? Someone in the office didn’t do a background check.

That foul-mouthed attempt at a reality show? Oh, that’s right, Bonaventura claims it was a training film of how not to be a constable, not a reality show pilot.

The allegation of sexual harassment against him? The woman isn’t telling the truth, according to Bonaventura. Neither is another woman who claimed he harassed her.

So far in this comedy, the only liar caught on video is Bonaventura, who seems destined to become a one-term constable.

I’ve never thought much of Bonaventura. He was a poor one-term assemblyman who couldn’t get re-elected in 1994. He then became a perennial loser, running for county treasurer in 1998, county commission in 2004 and state Senate in 2008.

In 2004, I wrote a column saying his cousin, Joe Bonaventure, the son of popular District Judge Joe Bonaventure, won a justice of the peace seat only because voters thought he was his dad. Turns out the younger judge has become respected on the bench, while his cousin the constable has become an embarrassment.

Anyway, John Bonaventura emailed me that I was a hag and a scumbag and he hoped I’d die.

His 2010 victory seemed to be one of those races where voters see a familiar name and vote for it without even knowing whom they were voting for. Putting up $1,400 worth of signs and doing little else, he defeated respected Constable, Robert “Bobby G.” Gronauer in the 2010 Democratic primary.

When Bonaventura became Las Vegas constable in January 2011, I was confident he would become a huge embarrassment. He hasn’t disappointed me.

The office, which under Gronauer built a $7 million surplus, is losing money under Bonaventura. The office was so rich when he took over, the county itself took $2 million. The office is expected to lose about $600,000 this fiscal year.

Bonaventura blames his losses on other constables serving legal papers outside their districts, poaching his business. He accuses other constables of being against him.

(Actually, they are furious that he has brought such negative attention to the usually ignored office that the Legislature may do away with all constable jobs.)

Let me shift some blame.

The blame for this joke of an elected official rests on Clark County voters, those Democrats and Republicans who didn’t pay attention to warnings that Bonaventura was a totally unqualified loose cannon and voted for him over far better qualified candidates.

Hey, let’s vote for that guy with the familiar name.

Feel any sense of shame, Bonaventura voters?

Jane Ann Morrison’s column appears Monday, Thursday and Saturday. Email her at Jane@reviewjournal.com or call her at 702-383-0275. She also blogs at lvrj.com/blogs/Morrison.