NLV meeting canceled on alleged violations by city manager

Diana Sahagun

Thursday, Nov. 2, 2000 | 10:19 a.m.

North Las Vegas Councilman John Rhodes -- who requested a closed personnel session to discuss the city manager -- initiated a vote Wednesday to strike the meeting from the agenda.

Rhodes called for the closed session two weeks ago after alleging that City Manager Kurt Fritsch has violated the open meeting law and not following the city's travel policy.

The motion to cancel the closed meeting passed with council members Shari Buck and William Robinson voting against the motion. "We need to get on with it," Robinson said, "so it doesn't come up again."

Rhodes cited a trip made by Robinson when he alleged at an Oct. 18 council meeting that Fritsch showed favoritism in the new travel policy, passed Sept. 6, which requires the signatures of two council members for trips by fellow council members.

Robinson's trip, taken Sept. 21, did not have the required signatures, but Fritsch said the plans must have been made before the policy was in place.

Rhodes alleged at an earlier meeting that Fritsch had polled council members about the proposed travel policy before the Sept. 6 meeting and that the decision was made before the meeting.

Following Wednesday's council meeting, Rhodes said he asked for the closed session to be removed after meeting with Fritsch in private and working out their differences.

"We've had an opportunity to sit down and have some conversations," he said. "It was best that we sit down and work out the issues."

Rhodes added that he has sent a letter to the state attorney general's office to investigate whether Fritsch violated the open meeting law.