City’s spokeswoman Hanson resigning job

Erin Neff

Monday, Aug. 16, 1999 | 10:22 a.m.

Amid rumors that her job was at stake, Las Vegas spokeswoman Cathy Hanson announced Friday she will resign her position next month and look for work in the private sector.

Hanson, a former television reporter who took the city's communication manager job in October 1994, denied that she felt any pressure to quit.

"Right now I'm just going to sit down for the first time in years and take a breath," Hanson said Friday.

Hanson will resign Sept. 3 from her $77,000 a year job.

But her departure had been rumored since Mayor Jan Laverty Jones left office in June.

"Her days are numbered," one elected official predicted two weeks ago.

However, City Manager Virginia Valentine was trying to convince Hanson to stay, according to city officials who asked to remain anonymous.

"It was Cathy's decision to leave," Valentine said Friday. "I would have loved her to stay.

"She has a lot of energy and she gave really good advice," Valentine added. "We'll miss her."

Hanson, a New York City native, has a master's degree in communication theory. She previously worked as a television reporter in Madison, Wis., and for local KNTV Channel 13, where she covered politics.

She was campaign manager of Jones' first bid for governor in 1994. After Jones lost that race and returned to her mayor's job, Hanson was hired to be her spokeswoman at City Hall.

Hanson's pending departure from the city adds another vacancy to the city's communications department. Public Information Officer Nadia Wiggins retired in April.

Valentine said she will decide next week who will become acting communication manager. Dawn Christensen has been serving as the city's acting public information officer.

The city will likely hire a replacement for Hanson first and allow that person to help hire the public information officer, Valentine said.