Guinn names Ethics Commission member

Tuesday, Nov. 16, 1999 | 11:08 a.m.

CARSON CITY -- Gov. Kenny Guinn today named Lizzie Hatcher, a Las Vegas lawyer, to the state Ethics Commission, succeeding Bill Bible who resigned when he was appointed head of the Nevada Resort Association.

Hatcher, 45, has worked in Las Vegas since the early 1980s, counseling children and people with alcohol problems and now is in the sole practice of law handling both civil and criminal cases.

She graduated from Grambling State with a degree in psychology and gained her law degree from Southern University.

Hatcher, a member of the NAACP, will be the first minority member on the reorganized ethics commission, whose structure was overhauled by the 1999 Legislature at the request of Guinn.

The eight-member commission will hold its first meeting under the new structure Thursday and Friday in Carson City and will elect a chairman.

There also are 12 cases, including one involving Las Vegas City Councilman Michael McDonald, on the agenda requesting opinions on the conduct of public officials. Those sessions are closed to the public.

Kenneth Rohrs, executive director of the commission, said it also must decide how to handle the late filing of financial disclosure forms, required of public officials. There were scores of officials who in 1998 and this year were tardy in submitting the required documents. Some have asked for waivers on the fines.

Rohrs said he wants some direction from the commission on the handling of this issue.

Under the new law, Rohrs said he has developed for commission approval a new ethical standards form. The 1999 law required that a public official sign a document that he has read and understands the ethics laws.

Rohrs said he has already started training classes for public officials, as required by law. He has held one session and scheduled four more. He will ask the commission if they want to be present at theclasses.