Commissioners won’t act against public administrator

Friday, Feb. 20, 1998 | 3:47 a.m.

The district attorney's office has advised commissioners not to take any action until laws can be changed, the Reno Gazette-Journal reported on Friday.

"We could not find a basis to go forward and institute proceedings to remove him from office," said Assistant District Attorney Madelyn Shipman.

Shipman said any citizen can initiate a recall effort. "But how do you get people up in arms about a public official who doesn't come to work?"

The public administrator acts as guardian of elderly and incapacitated people and is responsible for their health care and finances.

Moore, who took the $66,000-a-year-job in 1994 and is up for re-election in November, has been cited in two county audits for mismanagement and misbilling the estates of dead people.

Five lawsuits filed last month by the Senior Law Project accused Moore of failing to protect his wards.

His own employees have accused him of neglect.

Laura Duffrin, office manager in Moore's office, told the newspaper that Moore was on vacation and unavailable.

"When is he not on vacation?" said Dennis Travers, a case manager and one of three employees who said Moore's lack of concern has placed his wards in jeopardy.

"We are almost powerless at this point," he told the Gazette-Journal. "The wards are getting short changed because nobody knows anything about this office."

Travers said he recalled Moore last being in the office for about four hours on Jan. 28. Other employees said that was the first time he showed up since late September.