Gates says she is unaware of disclosure rule

Jeff Schweers

Wednesday, Oct. 8, 1997 | 10:45 a.m.

Clark County Commission Chairwoman Yvonne Atkinson Gates said today she is not aware that she has to disclose her relationship or abstain from voting when someone who worked on her re-election campaign has business before the board.

"If I had to disclose everybody who gave me a campaign donation and whoever did anything for my campaign, then I would never be able to vote on anything," Gates said. "That is not just for me but for everyone."

Gates said she thought she only had to disclose business relationships.

Gates voted in August on 14 new airport concession contracts that included a minority business enterprise award to Michael Chambliss, a city of Las Vegas employee whom Gates paid $46,500 between 1994 and 1996 for campaign-related work.

All the concession contracts were selected through a competitive bidding process and presented as recommendations to the commission by the Department of Aviation and its concession managers, County Manager Dale Askew said.

One of those contracts was awarded to a concession run by the daughter of former Aviation Director Bob Broadbent.

Gates did not disclose her relationship with Chambliss when she voted on the recommendations, but made no secret of the money she paid Chambliss, which is listed on her 1996 campaign disclosure reports filed with the Clark County Election Department.

Gates said the bulk of Chambliss' pay was for stepping in to run the Democratic Party's get-out-the-vote television campaign last October while Gates was in Texas having a tumor removed from her leg.

Last year, an ethics complaint was filed against Commissioner Erin Kenny, and former Commissioners Jay Bingham and Paul Christensen because they failed to disclose that their campaign adviser represented a company to whom they gave an airport transportation service contract.

The complaint was dropped before the state Ethics Commission had a chance to rule on the commissioners' actions.

Two years ago, Commissioner Bruce Woodbury abstained from voting on a recommendation for Gary Naseef because of their business relationship. Woodbury has done legal work for Naseef, a local promoter who works out of Woodbury's law offices.

Woodbury paid Naseef $55,400 between 1995 and 1996 for campaign-related work.

"All the time you are confronted with situations where you know people to one degree or another," Woodbury said. "If you want to be in office and be successful in politics, you have to know a lot of people."

Gates has asked the Nevada Ethics Commission for a ruling on a lease her business partner Ed Nigro has negotiated with MGM Grand for a frozen daiquiri shop. The ethics panel will hear arguments Nov. 13-14.