Colulmnist Jon Ralston: Multiple lobbyists mean multiple aromas

Wednesday, May 24, 2000 | 9:14 a.m.

Jon Ralston, who publishes the Ralston Report, writes a column for the Sun on Sundays and Wednesdays. Ralston can be reached at 870-7997 or by e-mail at ralston@vegas.com.

Every new era in government, it seems, is initially characterized as a breath of fresh air, a new beginning, and so on, ad nauseum.

Such surely has been the case at Las Vegas City Hall, where a dynamic and gregarious mayor and three promising council appointees have given observers hope that past clouds have cleared. Unfortunately, a familiar smell is wafting from City Hall as three federal lobbying firms are sniffing after the city's business. It is the odor of juice and silliness, a toxic combination that inevitably leads to somebody getting enriched at the public trough.

The most egregious example of influence peddling -- and one of the more blatant and clumsy in recent memory -- came when one of the city's two current lobbying firms, Alcalde & Fay, brought in local PR man Tom Letizia as its representative and put him in its proposal. It wasn't enough to have ex-Rep. Jim Bilbray lobbying council folks; Alcalde & Fay needed Letizia, too. Now why would a firm that specializes in lobbying have to hire a local to, ahem, lobby? Could it be because Letizia helped elect Mayor Oscar Goodman and might be able to either sway His Honor or at least get him out of the way? What other reason could there be?

Goodman appeared incensed last week when he saw Letizia representing the firm, now paid $68,000 a year to lobby for the city on transportation and nuclear waste issues. He threw down a pencil he was holding and disqualified himself from the vote on the contract, which has been postponed to next week's meeting.

"It was the dumbest thing I've seen," Goodman said in an interview. "I was livid."

Of course, this sleaze begs the question of why the city would need two firms -- Las Vegas also shells out $96,000 a year to U.S. Strategies for help on Capitol Hill. That was one of the issues raised by newcomer Michael Mack, who was the impetus for the two firms and another, Cassidy and Associates, making presentations to the council last week.

If Alcalde & Fay is into juice, U.S. Strategies has a different problem. Three key congressional delegation sources from different offices were positively derisive when describing the company. U.S. Strategies originally was brought in to the city by then-Mayor Jan Jones, who was romanced by principals Eric and Heidi Hanson and their promises to raise money for her political career. Jones recently hired U.S. Strategies in her new capacity as a Harrah's Entertainment executive. But why would the city have a firm that is not respected by the state delegation?

Cassidy and Associates is the giant among giant capital lobbying firms. But that company, too, has recruited some local help. Sources report that Clark County Commissioner Dario Herrera has been talking to some of his City Council pals about the benefits of hiring Cassidy & Associates. Why?

Because, sources report, Herrera's public relations/advertising firm has a pending deal to be swallowed up by the Washington behemoth, which clearly wants to expand its Nevada presence.

It is this unrelenting assault on the olfactory that caused one city insider to posit that the best outcome would be to "blow them all out." The contract remains in doubt because, sources say, Michael McDonald likes the status quo and Lawrence Weekly and Gary Reese are happy with U.S. Strategies.

So the city could retain two federal lobbying firms, one that used an outrageous juice move to get to the mayor and another that has little regard among Nevada's congressional delegation. Look on the bright side: If the council keeps Alcalde & Fay and U.S. Strategies, a council member traveling to Washington would have the choice of being feted on not just one, but two tabs.

Ah, yes. Doesn't that air on Stewart Avenue smell fresh to you, too?