Las Vegas, NV (AP) - Shortly before being appointed as a Nye County judge last month over a deep pool of applicants, then-Las Vegas Councilwoman Michele Fiore insisted to county officials that she was eligible for the judgeship because she had met the qualifications to be considered a local resident.
But Fiore had continued her role on the Las Vegas city council after her move to Nye County, attending four meetings as councilwoman while living in Pahrump
Her dual role as a Pahrump resident and Las Vegas councilwoman could have violated a Las Vegas city code that requires all members of the City Council to live in the district they represent. Fiore’s move has also raised questions of whether she lived in Nye County long enough before taking the justice of the peace role.
Now, the former state treasurer candidate is at the center of inquiries that could threaten to vacate both her judgeship and her final city council vote.
Four residents of the Las Vegas ward she represented requested that the city council nullify her Nov. 16 vote to approve a controversial land-use project for a convenience store that passed 4-3. The vote took place a day after she put money down on a rental house in Pahrump.
Pahrump resident and former longshot U.S. Senate candidate William Hockstedler, who had applied for the same justice of the peace position, has also asked the Nye County District Attorney’s office to recall Fiore’s appointment.
In a letter to the Nye County district attorney’s office, Hockstedler cited an opinion from the state of Nevada that candidates for offices, including justice of the peace, must live within the jurisdiction for at least 30 days before the deadline for the “declarations of candidacy or acceptances for the office.” He referenced the Dec. 8 judicial application deadline and Fiore’s “own admission” that she moved to Pahrump on Nov. 15.
The Las Vegas city attorney’s office declined to comment aside from sharing the complaints. The new Nye County district attorney did not respond to a request for comment.
The Nevada Current first reported the potential city code and state opinion violation.
Fiore signed a check for a Pahrump rental house on Nov. 15 but did not stay overnight there until Nov. 17, her attorney Sigal Chattah wrote in a Tuesday letter to the Las Vegas city attorney. She noted that Fiore’s final city council vote came one day before Fiore would “spend her first night in Pahrump.”
Fiore had previously told the council that the “exact date” of her Pahrump residence began Nov. 15. She did not respond to requests for comment.
The former Nevada state assemblywoman was selected unanimously to fill the seat on the Pahrump Justice Court through 2024 despite not having a law degree, which is not a requirement.