Common Cause president questions Miller trust fund

Tuesday, April 14, 1998 | 9:07 a.m.

"As a general principal undisclosed money is always a problem for public officers," said James Hulse. "The law may not be adequate and we ought to take a look at it."

But Hulse added that Miller deserves credit for coming forward and releasing the names of the contributors who gave $71,000 to allow the governor and his staff to travel outside Nevada.

The governor, through press secretary Richard Urey, on Friday revealed there were $10,000 contributions from Barrick Gold Mines and the Nevada Cancer Center in Las Vegas.

Donations of $5,000 came from IGT; Fiesta hotel-casino; Primadonna hotel-casino; Southern Wine and Spirits; Gold Coast hotel-casino; Barbary Coast hotel-casino; Harvey's; Station Casinos; and the Rio hotel-casino.

Urey said the trust was established in 1996 to pay for Miller's out-of-state travel when he was elected vice chairman and then chairman of the National Governors Association. He added the governor didn't want to ask for taxpayer funds.

The existence of the trust wasn't disclosed until this month when Miller filed his financial disclosure statement for 1997, showing he got $8,000 from the "governor's trust."

Urey initially referred questions about the trust to Todd Bice, a Las Vegas attorney who drew up the trust but added he didn't know who the trustees were.

It was later disclosed Bice's law partner, Frank Schreck, was a trustee. Schreck represents many of the major casinos in Las Vegas and is a top political fund-raiser.

When Miller was asked about the trust, he said he had no problem with releasing names of those who gave. There is nothing in the law that requires he reveal those names.

Secretary of State Dean Heller had expressed concern earlier, saying secret funding arrangements don't inspire trust in public officials. Heller, who is in charge of campaign financing reports, also said there appears to be nothing in the law to cover such funds.

Deputy Attorney General Louis Ling, who advises the state Ethics Commission, said Miller correctly reported the $8,000 he got from the "governor's trust."

Ling added he hasn't reviewed the overall question about the legality of the trusts.