Pearson charges Culinary conspiracy

Thursday, Jan. 29, 1998 | 11:15 a.m.

Clark County Commissioner Willie Pearson ia characterizing Culinary Union support for his campaign rival as an attempt by the union to gain control over Las Vegas hotels and casinos.

"Culinary political operatives have resorted to despicable, slanderous tactics in their attempt to get Yvonne Atkinson Gates elected, said a press release prepared by the Pearson Thursday.

But union leaders and Atkinson Gates blasted the Pearson press release - titled "Organized crime alive and well in Culinary Union?" - as "sleazy campaign tactics."

On Wednesday, the Central Labor Council unanimously endorsed Atkinson Gates for Pearaon's District D seat, said Jim Arnold, secretary-treasurer of the 30,000-member Culinary Union.

The lengthy Frontier Hotel strike helped turn the political tide from Pearson to Atkinson Gatea, Arnold said. "I think he has lost touch with the reality of the working people," he said.

"One leading reason this happened was because Pearson was campaigning by making libelous statements about the Culinary Workers Union," Arnold said referring to allegations by Pearson that the union had mob ties.

"William Pearaon's Aug. 13 news release is the sick raving of a man whose sleazy campaign tactics have blown up in his face," Arnold said.

Pearson, in the press release, said a County Commission made up of union-controlled commissioners would be dangerous. In previous statements, Pearson has charged that Commissioner Don Schesinger is in the Culinary Union's pocket.

"A culinary-controlled County Commission would have considerable leverage during the vital contract negotiations between the union and the various Las Vegas hotel properties," Pearson said in the press release Arnold said that Pearson has lost control of his own campaign.

"Anyone who knows Pearson can see that he isn't writing his own material," he said. "Not only is he not in his right mind, he isn't his own man."

Thirty labor leaders signed an Aug. 6 letter to Pearson that called the commissioner's charges "dredged-out dirt from the distant past."

Pearson's press release said some of the labor leaders had been coerced into signing the letter.

"That is not true," said Claude "Blackie" Evans, executive secretary-treasurer of the Nevada State AFL-CIO of Pearson's forced-signatures charge.

"I'm upset with Pearson calling' us a bunch of crooks."

Pearson's Aug. 13 release reiterated the mob ties theme,' charging that national Culinary, Union boss Ed Hanley was trying) to gain control of Las Vegas hotels.

"According to the President's Commission on Organized, Crime, Ed Hanley was hand-picked for the Culinary' presidency by Tony 'Big Tuna' Accardo, longtime head of the Chicago mob," the press release said. "Accardo was once a bodyguard to Al Capone andwas sent to prison for his role in a skimming operation aimed at Las Vegas casinos."

Again Evans disagreed. About 15 years ago, the Culinary Union president was investigated, but. no charges were filed, he said.

Atkinson Gates asked when Pearson planned to discuss issues.