District Attorney Steve Wolfson files for another term
Clark County District Attorney Steve Wolfson filed for re-election shortly after the Clark County Government Center opened early Wednesday morning.
Wolfson, who has served as district attorney since he was appointed in 2012, is set to run against Ozzie Fumo, a former Nevada legislator and prominent defense attorney.
“I think now, more than ever, strong leadership and real experience matters,” Wolfson said.
Wolfson said he wants to tackle the backlog of cases that have built up in the court system due to pandemic-related shut downs, which have prevented lengthy jury trials from occurring and defendants from appearing in person for most cases. The backlog is most noticeable with murder cases, Wolfson said.
“We’re at a crossroad, do we continue to do the right things to move forward and to tackle this caseload, or do we go in a bad direction?” Wolfson said.
In January, an administrative order from the Clark County District Court halted jury trials expected to last longer than a week. The order, along with the mandate for masks to be worn inside the courthouse, was rescinded in February.
According to campaign finance reports filed in January with the Nevada secretary of state’s office, Wolfson raised more money in 2021 than any other year he’s been in office. His donors include major Strip hotels, high-profile attorneys and a company tied to former casino executive Steve Wynn.
Fumo, who is expected to file later this week, said in an emailed statement Wednesday that those in Clark County “need a new District Attorney.”
“No more wasting resources on prosecuting nonviolent, victimless offenses,” the statement read. “We need a smarter approach to criminal justice. We need to make sure everyone is treated equally and fairly by our justice system. We need a DA who isn’t afraid to pick up a file, walk into court, and prosecute a case for hard working Nevadans.”
Other filings
A Northern Nevada intraparty fight was joined on Wednesday, as Assemblyman Jim Wheeler, R-Minden, filed for state Senate District 17, the seat now held by the term-limited Sen. James Settelmeyer, R-Minden, who is also the Republican leader in the upper house.
“You know I’m a fighter and a rock solid conservative,” Wheeler said in an email to supporters. “This race to me is about more than just a vote. I promise you, as I always have, to not just vote the RIGHT way, but to FIGHT for OUR way, the good ole fashioned conservative principles and freedoms that make Nevada great.”
But Wheeler’s first fight will be in a Republican primary. The District 17 seat is also being sought by Dr. Robin Titus, R-Wellington, the Republican leader in the Assembly, who filed on Monday.
Like Settelmeyer, Titus and Wheeler are both known as conservative lawmakers. Further complicating the drama, Titus replaced Wheeler as minority leader in the Republican Assembly caucus after the 2019 legislative session.
As Wheeler said in his email after filing, “It’s on!”
Commissioner files
In Clark County, Commissioner Tick Segerblom filed for re-election to his District E seat. Segerblom, whose given name is Richard, served in the Nevada Assembly from 2006 to 2012, and state Senate from 2012 to 1018 before getting elected to the commission.
Attorney April Becker, who is seeking the Republican nomination for the Congressional District 3 seat held by Rep. Susie Lee, also filed on Wednesday. Veteran and businessman Sam Peters filed for the Republican nomination in adjacent Congressional District 4, held by Rep. Steven Horsford. In the race for secretary of state, Democrat Cisco Aguilar and Republicans Jesse Haw and Socorro Kennan filed. Incumbent Barbara Cegavske is term-limited.
Contact Katelyn Newberg at knewberg@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0240. Follow @k_newberg on Twitter.
