Governor hires new lobbyist for Nevada

Tuesday, June 29, 1999 | 3:59 a.m.

Michael Pieper will get $21,000 a month over the next year to staff and run Nevada's lobbying office in the capital.

The state Board of Examiners, made up of Guinn, Attorney General Frankie Sue Del Papa and Secretary of State Dean Heller, voted Monday to approve the contract with Pieper.

Guinn said he doesn't know Pieper personally but his background in Washington suits him for the job of seeking federal grants for the state and monitoring issues of importance to Nevada.

Guinn said Pieper's job will focus more on seeking federal funding and working with state agencies, including the Department of Transportation and the Commission on Tourism, than on actual lobbying.

Statements on policy, including nuclear waste and gambling concerns, will come from Guinn's office and the state congressional delegation, Guinn said.

The current lobbyist, Leo Penne, was told by Guinn earlier this year he would be replaced July 1, the date Pieper's contract becomes effective. Penne had run the Washington office for Nevada since its creation in 1986.

The contract, worth $252,000 over the next 12 months, was not put out to bid, but several people were interviewed for the position.