County manager reportedly will curtail vacation to face detractors

Adrienne Packer

Tuesday, Aug. 10, 1999 | 11:28 a.m.

Just days after two Clark County commissioners called for his resignation, County Manager Dale Askew has said he likely will return from vacation early to address the attempted coup that has shaken the board.

"There is some indication he might be coming back in the middle of the week instead of staying through the weekend," Commission Chairman Bruce Woodbury said today. "We'll get together as soon as we can to see where we go from here and what we can do to bring things back to normal."

Woodbury said he spoke with Askew shortly after Commissioners Erin Kenny and Dario Herrera made harsh comments to the media on Thursday about Askew's performance.

Kenny and Herrera have claimed fellow Commissioner Lance Malone also has played a role in their effort to remove Askew from office, but Malone did not return phone calls Friday and left for vacation Saturday.

Some county officials have said Malone's support for ousting Askew is waning. Woodbury said Malone told him that he would have voted to remove the county manager if the majority of the board endorsed the move. Whether Malone meant a majority with him being the deciding vote is unclear.

"He was upset it had come out and been made public," Woodbury said of Malone.

Herrera has taken heat for going public with the effort without first ensuring the majority of the board was behind him -- a politician's No. 1 rule. But the first-year commissioner said the night before he aired his problems with Askew, Commissioner Mary Kincaid told him she too supported a change.

However on Thursday, Kincaid said she was not in favor of getting rid of Askew and expressed sympathy toward his situation.

"The bottom line is no county manager is ever going to satisfy all the commissioners," Kincaid said. "Everyone has a different idea on how the county manager should manage."

Woodbury said Kincaid relayed the same message to him when he spoke with her hours after Herrera told reporters that Askew was not innovative or energetic enough to lead the county.

"She made it clear she would not be part of any effort to oust Dale," Woodbury said. "She said we need the stability and continuity."

Woodbury, a board member for more than 17 years and a longtime friend of Askew, said several state legislators told him last weekend that they believe the county manager does a fine job.

"They expressed strong support for Dale," Woodbury said. "All the legislators thought highly of him and his staff. They said they would hate to see him go."

Woodbury said he hopes Askew can soon meet with the disgruntled commissioners. The chairman said he would like to see some sense of calm return to the commission before he leaves town on Friday.

"Everybody has assured me nothing will happen in my absence as far as anyone trying to make a move," he said.

It is unclear exactly why Herrera and Kenny are calling for a new leader. About three weeks ago, Herrera said he did not have a problem with Askew but now fully supports Kenny.

Kenny has said she always saw Askew as a "transitional figure" following County Manager Pat Shalmy's departure in 1997. Other county officials have said Kenny's problem with Askew stems from her rift with colleague Yvonne Atkinson Gates, who has a healthy working relationship with Askew.