Atkinson Gates’ attorneys defend alleged ‘guilty’ plea

Jeff Schweers

Thursday, Dec. 4, 1997 | 10:56 a.m.

Attorneys representing Clark County Commission Chairwoman Yvonne Atkinson Gates said they were trying to expedite an ethics hearing when they asked the state Ethics Commission to allow Gates to plead guilty to violating the ethics code.

During the course of a closed hearing Nov. 13, Richard Segerblom said he asked the Ethics Commission, "'Can we plead guilty?' not thinking this would appear in print."

But the transcripts of the hearing became public when the ethics panel decided to hold a public hearing to examine whether Gates acted inappropriately by voting to give an airport concession to her friend and campaign consultant Michael Chambliss.

"The context of my comment was that we were saying if it's a violation of the ethics law that she has a relationship with Chambliss and she voted on his thing then we violated the ethics law," Segerblom said.

Ethics Commissioner James Guinan told Segerblom that "guilty" was not the right word, and another commissioner said they can't accept a guilty plea.

"Guilt is not even a standard in this kind of hearing," Segerblom said. "I was trying to say, 'You've already made up your mind. You want her and the public groveling at your feet."'

Segerblom said that when the entire transcript is read in context, "it becomes perfectly clear what we're debating," noting that Ethics Chairwoman Mary Boetsch diverged from the Chambliss issue to ask whether Gates' husband, District Judge Lee Gates, was running for the Nevada Supreme Court.

Judge Gates has planned to run for the same Supreme Court seat that Debbie Augusti, a close friend of Boetsch, is seeking. Boetsch could not be reached for comment.

A copy of the ethics hearing transcript was requested by the SUN on Nov. 21. A SUN reporter was told the Ethics Commission could not fax the 45-page transcript because the machine was too old.

The Ethics Commission, however, faxed the transcript to another media outlet Wednesday at 11 a.m., three weeks after the SUN's original request was made.

At press time, the SUN and Gates' attorneys had still not received copies of the transcript.

"I could understand putting it in the mail to all of us, but faxing it just to them without even a heads up is preposterous," Segerblom said. "Louis Ling should be disciplined. This is unbelievably unethical for the Ethics Commission attorney."

Ling, an assistant attorney general who acts as counsel for the Ethics Commission, could not be reached.

Segerblom is upset with Ling also for not responding in writing to a written request that the hearing be moved from January to December.

Ling left a telephone message that the panel could not move the hearing forward, even though state law requires such hearings be expedited quickly.

"He didn't respond in writing, so I don't know the reason for not moving it up," Segerblom said.