Before being chosen last month over a large field of candidates to become a rural Nevada judge, Michele Fiore, a councilwoman, argued to county officials that she was qualified for the judgeship since she had fulfilled the requirements for being regarded as a local citizen.
However, Fiore continued to serve on the City Council even after moving to Nye County. From the time she arrived there until the conclusion of her term on December 7, she had attended four sessions in that capacity.
She might have broken a Las Vegas municipal ordinance requiring all City Council members to reside in the ward they represent by serving in both capacities as a resident of Pahrump and a councilwoman. The length of Fiore’s stay in Nye County before accepting the position of justice of the peace has also come into question in light of her relocation.
The former candidate for state treasurer is now being looked into, which could put both her new judgeship and her last vote for city council in danger.
Her 4-3 vote on November 16 to approve a contentious land-use project for a convenience store has been challenged by four citizens of the Las Vegas ward she represented. She put a down payment on a Pahrump rental home the day before the vote.
The city attorney’s office in Las Vegas declined to comment beyond mentioning the allegations.
William Hockstedler, a former unlikely candidate for the U.S. Senate, applied for the same justice of the peace seat in Pahrump and urged the Nye County District Attorney’s office to revoke Fiore’s appointment.
In a letter to the office, Hockstedler referenced a Nevada court decision stating that anyone running for office, including a judge of the peace, must reside in the state for at least 30 days prior to the deadline for “declarations of candidature or acceptances for the office.”
The application date for the court was December 8. The “precise day” Fiore moved to Pahrump was November 15, according to her pitch for the judgeship to Nye County commissioners last month.
The 30-day threshold, however, only applies to candidates who are elected to office, according to a statement released by Nye County’s top prosecutor on Friday evening in defence of Fiore’s appointment.
District Attorney Brian Kunzi stated that the “sole criteria” for appointees is that they “must be qualified to vote when he or she is appointed to a township office.” November saw the election of Kunzi.
The apparent violation of the local ordinance and state opinion was originally reported by The Nevada Current.
According to a letter Fiore’s attorney Sigal Chattah wrote to the Las Vegas city attorney on Tuesday, Fiore now claims she signed a check for a Pahrump rental house on November 15, but that she did not spend the night at her new home until two days later. Fiore’s final city council vote occurred one day before she would “spend her first night in Pahrump,” the letter added.
Despite not possessing a law degree, which is not necessary, she was unanimously chosen to fill the position on the Pahrump Justice Court through 2024 at a meeting in December. Nye County, which the previous president Donald Trump won in 2016 and 2020, is deeply red and contains Pahrump, which is situated about 65 miles (100 kilometres) west of Las Vegas.
According to a letter delivered at the meeting by a Nye County commissioner, Trump supported Fiore for the judgeship and said that she would “be an absolutely wonderful Justice of the Peace.”
Her selection of over 20 candidates is the most recent episode in a political career characterised by scandal for the past ten years, including news of an FBI investigation into her campaign funds and allegations of physical violence.
In relation to Fiore’s campaign expenditures, FBI officials searched Fiore’s home in northwest Las Vegas last year and subpoenaed records, according to the Las Vegas Review-Journal.
Additionally, Fiore was sued earlier this year by Victoria Seaman, a fellow councilwoman from Las Vegas, who claimed Fiore had injured her in a fight at City Hall in January and broken her finger. They used to be strong political allies and dear friends. The lawsuit, according to Fiore’s campaign, was an effort by “liberal Republicans” to harm her chances of winning the state treasurer election in November, the Reno Gazette Journal said.
When Fiore ran unsuccessfully for state attorney general last year, Chattah, his lawyer, frequently joined him on the campaign road. As a result of Fiore’s court appointment, Chattah is now vying to replace her as the national committeewoman of the Nevada Republican Party.
