The joining of two justice courts in southern Lyon County has led to a contested race for the Walker River Township Justice of the Peace.
Dennis Milligan, running for his third six-year term as a justice of the peace, said if he is re-elected he will "treat everyone fair and continue with the type of work I've been doing."
Running against Milligan is Michael S. Fletcher of Wellington, a deputy with 20 years of service in the Lyon County Sheriff's Department.
The Lyon County Commissioners decided in December to join the Mason Valley and Smith Valley courts and move Silver Springs to the jurisdiction of the Fernley court, which will be called the Canal Township Justice Court. The changes are effective July 1. Milligan currently heads the Mason Valley Justice Court.
Milligan reaches out to defendants and litigants in his court, he said, because he knows 80 percent of them.
"Somebody's got to help these people help themselves," he said. "My main goal is to give them all fair treatment and help them help themselves."
The justice Court handles civil issues, traffic matters, small-claims and criminal cases, and though Milligan is not a lawyer, he feels comfortable dispensing justice.
"I feel good that I've got a good, well-rounded background," he said. "It helps me to understand people."
Milligan said he has been a truck driver, worked in heavy construction and has been a firefighter.
"I went to the school of hard knocks," he said, adding that good common sense was more important than a law background.
"One of the big issues is to be a good listener," he said. "People who get a ticket, they just want someone to listen to their problem. As for criminals, they know what they've got coming,"
Fletcher said he wants to make sure Smith Valley is represented in the new Walker River Justice Court, and since he currently lives in Smith Valley and formerly lived in Mason Valley, feels he is uniquely qualified to fairly represent both communities.
"You have the two areas and they both need to be represented," he said. "In Smith Valley, I feel like we've lost a piece of our history."
As a law enforcement officer, Fletcher feels he can be a "fair and balanced judge," and added he wants to work for better accountability in the warrant system.
"Being a peace officer, many times we go and arrest the same person over and over again," he said. "Judges should follow the case through and make sure if you issue a warrant once, you are going to close that case and not keep it going.
The judge has to hold people accountable, not issue warrants over and over and over. If the person does not follow the judge's orders, they should do their time."
Fletcher said he believes that with the dramatic growth in the county and the combining of the two district courts, the Walker River court will be busier, and he will push harder to follow up cases.
In addition to his law-enforcement background, Fletcher, a sergeant, said he has also coached youth baseball and for 10 years has instructed hunter-safety courses for the Nevada Department of Wildlife.
• Contact reporter Karen Woodmansee at kwoodmansee@nevadaappeal.com or 882-2111 ext. 351.