Foul-mouthed video may force overhaul of constables’ jobs

Las Vegas Constable John Bonaventura may go down in history as the guy who prompted an overhaul of constable offices across Nevada, reducing the independence of an elected job few know about and even fewer care about -- until a foul-mouthed video surfaced featuring deputies in his office.

The changes would have to originate in the Legislature, and Assemblywoman Marilyn Kirkpatrick, D-North Las Vegas, is already talking about introducing legislation to put restrictions on constables.

Clark County commissioners are also looking to see what controls they can use to rein in what appears to be an out-of-control office. During last week's meeting, commissioners were spot on when they described the video as hostile, unprofessional, shocking, humiliating and degrading.

Bonaventura, who was elected in 2010 with the help of a name that sounds a lot like two respected judges named Bonaventure, has made trouble for other constables by drawing unwanted attention to the office. Someone is bound to ask why the elected office is even necessary, or whether it should be an appointed rather than elected job to allow oversight.

Tuesday's County Commission meeting revealed publicly that fellow constables Earl Mitchell of Henderson and Herb Brown of North Las Vegas have scant respect for Bonaventura and worry that his problems will end up limiting them and other constables.

They're probably right.

They're not the only ones who don't respect Bonaventura. When he was running for constable in 2010, Las Vegas Review-Journal editorial writer Glenn Cook placed Bonaventura on his list of "Five worst candidates you've probably never heard of" and described him in two words: "Completely unqualified."

Voters elected him anyway.

Bonaventura won a seat in the 1993 Assembly, where he distinguished himself as the worst legislator. He lost his re-election bid, then became a perennial candidate, running for county treasurer, county commissioner and state senator. In 2010, he put up $1,400 worth of signs and did little else, and defeated 12-year incumbent Bobby Gronauer in the Democratic primary, winning in the fall.

In 2004, Bonaventura became annoyed with me over a column speculating that his cousin, Joe Bonaventure, won his judicial race because people thought he was his jurist father. The two families spell their last names differently.

In a hate-spewing email, Bonaventura wrote: "One day soon you will die from natural causes or even worse, you may end up like Ned Day and then Nevada will have one less scumbag to worry about." (Day was a local newsman who died vacationing in Hawaii.)

Today Bonaventura has a badge and a gun and manages a budget of about $4.5 million. The money comes from fees constables raise serving legal papers and evicting people.

Since he is an elected official, he can run his office as he chooses. For instance, Bonaventura doesn't post job openings. For his public information officer, he hired his pal, former Assemblyman Lou Toomin, another lawmaker with a poor reputation. Toomin was one of worst on the video, with his arrogant attitude and profanities which he obviously thought suitable for a reality TV show.

The video was a test preview, but a show featuring these Deputy Dawgs is never happening.

Constable Brown, a former assistant police chief and U.S. marshal for Nevada, told commissioners that in 1998 the constables themselves suggested setting minimum law enforcement standards for a candidate seeking the job. But the idea was ignored because previous county commissioners thought the incumbent constables were merely trying to eliminate competition.

Other constables had been trying to mentor Bonaventura to fix his problems. "Now you have this problem, and it's up to you to address it," Brown sternly told commissioners.

Wouldn't it be ironic if Bonaventura's pitiful judgment turned the constable job his dad once held into an appointed instead of an elected job?

Quite the legacy for the second Constable Bonaventura.

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.