Auditor’s firing remains hot item at City Hall

Denise Cardinal

Tuesday, April 21, 1998 | 9:52 a.m.

Las Vegas city officials are reeling from recent media reports regarding the firing of former city auditor Susan Toohey.

Two interoffice memos written by Deputy City Manager Steve Houchens have been circulated through City Hall in direct response to articles written in the Las Vegas SUN and Las Vegas Review-Journal.

Both memos expressed Houchens' concern that the media was misconstruing the findings of Toohey's audits and internal memos.

The memorandums were distributed to top city officials including the city attorney, city manager and the public information officer.

Toohey was fired from her job on March 13, without public explanation. Director of Human Resources Rick Anderson said city policy prohibits public discussion of personnel issues.

Sources at City Hall, including some department heads, said Toohey was fired from her post because she wanted to reorganize her department so that it would report to a separate audit committee, rather than the city manager.

At Monday's special budget meeting, Houchens discussed forming an oversight committee -- not unlike the one proposed by Toohey before her termination -- made up of two city council members, an appointed citizen and the city manager.

He denied that his proposal was born out of media scrutiny or Toohey's recommendation. Instead, he said it came from an outside auditor's suggestions.

Houchens told the City Council Monday that he would draft an ordinance to form such a committee.