Justice of the Peace: Armstrong retains bench seat

Carson City voters selected Tom Armstrong to be Department One’s Justice of the Peace for six years.Armstrong, who was elected to his first term Tuesday after being appointed by the Board of Supervisors in May 2011, said he wants to implement a misdemeanor drug court program and live up to the expectations of Carson City’s residents.“The Justice of the Peace is an office where a lot of the community intersects with the court system,” he said. “It might be their only contact, they have a right to expect all sides be treated fairly.”From 2001 until 2007, Armstrong served as a senior deputy district attorney in the Carson City District Attorney’s office. He said the cases coming before him, and the people, have changed to a younger demographic, especially when it comes to drug crimes.“The judiciary needs to be flexible,” he said.Armstrong said there’s a serious need to address the opiate and prescription drug problem with young people.He is aware of the need for the Justice of the Peace to address the needs of the community and respond to input from the community, he said.“As a judge, I recognize that there is room in the judiciary to approach the solving of some of the community’s problems,” he said.Although the city’s youth and their addiction to opiates and prescription drugs may be a matter of grave concern, ensuring that Carson City’s veterans are handled fairly is also a matter of importance.“We need to make sure that we’re able to handling homecoming vets,” he said.Armstrong faced Michael Bell, the owner and operator of a small horse-boarding operation. Armstrong won 69.65 percent with 13,873 votes and Bell had 30.35 percent, with 6,045 votes.“I want to thank my opponent for his efforts, and for running a fair and honorable campaign and I want to do what I can to live up to Carson City’s expectations of me,” he said.