Editorial: City can do more to ID cell users

Wednesday, Aug. 23, 2000 | 9:53 a.m.

Last week the Nevada Supreme Court wisely -- and unanimously -- upheld the public's right to see the cellular phone records of government employees. That decision doesn't erase, however, how disturbing it is that local governments even would try in the first place to prevent the release of cellular phone billing statements, which clearly are public records under Nevada law.

The case before the Supreme Court came about after the Clark County Commission two years ago refused a request by the Review-Journal to completely release the cellular phone records of county employees. The county blacked out the last four digits of the telephone numbers called, making it impossible to know who was contacted. Without this information, no one could tell if an employee was using the government-owned phone for personal use or for work.

Meanwhile, in July the Sun sought the cellular phone records of Las Vegas City Hall employees. The city provided the complete phone numbers with the notable exception of William Cassidy, a top aide to Mayor Oscar Goodman. Cassidy, citing "personal safety" concerns, refused to release six telephone numbers, which he called a total of 348 times in the first six months of 2000. Cassidy received a one-month suspension following the Sun's disclosures about his use of the cellular phone while on leave to work as a consultant for the defense in the Ted Binion murder trial, but it still was wrong for the city to allow Cassidy to continue to hide his phone bills from public view.

In the wake of the Supreme Court's decision last week, though, the city has released those numbers that Cassidy previously had withheld. But four of the six numbers have been disconnected. Another number was being used by someone who claimed to not know Cassidy. Sun reporter Erin Neff did reach one person, Tony Nguyen, who acknowledged that Cassidy recently visited his home in Santa Ana, Calif.

Goodman should end this mystery now, requiring Cassidy to publicly identify who he was calling with his city-issued cellular phone. If the city had not delayed the records' release when the Sun first requested them, it is probable that the callers' identities would have been known immediately. Indeed, the cell phone disconnections raise more questions than they answer. For that matter, what exactly is Cassidy trying to conceal from the public? Only when the city releases these names will it be complying with the spirit of the Supreme Court's decision, a ruling that strives to ensure that government remains accountable to the public.

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