Pair of mayor’s hirings subject of ethics filings

Denise Cardinal

Thursday, Feb. 26, 1998 | 10:18 a.m.

The recent hiring of a deputy city manager is the subject of a filing made against Las Vegas Mayor Jan Laverty Jones with the Nevada Commission on Ethics.

Ann Holland, former senior vice president of hotel and tower operations at the Stratosphere hotel-casino, took the post as the third deputy city manager -- a position that didn't previously exist. Her annual salary is $100,000.

The opinion request, filed by resident Robert Rose, asks the Ethics Commission to look into whether Jones created the new post just for Holland. Since Jones' husband, Richard Schuetz, is Holland's former boss, Rose said, "cronyism" comes into play.

Rose contends in his request that if the position was needed, it should have been filled through an open and unbiased search, rather than just an appointment by the City Council.

"The position should not be filled by a person who has worked with the mayor's husband and certainly not promoted by someone (Jones) who has such a financial and personal interest," the request reads.

The second item Rose brought up in his request involved a former city employee who was hired to collect funds for the M.A.S.H. Village. Rose said the mayor hired Marjorie Polley, a friend of hers, and that she didn't manage to collect more funds than her salary thus giving the city a net loss.

Rose has filed several opinion requests, usually involving Clark County commissioners -- four of which are now facing ethics hearings in March. He also filed a previous request against Jones for her ownership in a Stratosphere shop tenant. The Ethics Commission ruled the request void since Jones had disclosed her interest in the company.

The most recent filing against Jones will be discussed at the next Ethics Commission meeting March 18-20 in Las Vegas. If it's determined Rose's charges have merit, then an official investigation would be launched.

The investigation would either be conducted by the Commission, or would occur through a hearing held during another meeting.

Jones said she wasn't concerned about the request, dismissing it as shallow.

"When you have people wasting their time with ridiculous complaints it's a disservice to government and a waste of taxpayers' dollars," Jones said. "I hired an astute businesswoman for $35,000 less than what she was making and who was interviewed and approved by every member of the Council. He doesn't have to agree with it, but it's certainly not an ethics complaint."

But Rose said he didn't file the complaint to make a nuisance of himself.

"I could read about this stuff going on, and I could sit around," he said. "Or, I could do something about it."