Gaming Board Chairman DuCharme to retire

Friday, Nov. 17, 2000 | 11:19 a.m.

CARSON CITY -- Steve DuCharme, chairman of the state Gaming Control Board, will retire when his term ends Jan. 1, closing 30 years of law enforcement service, Gov. Kenny Guinn announced today.

The move fuels speculation that Scott Scherer, Guinn's chief of staff, may be named to replace DuCharme, who has been on the board for 10 years and has been chairman for the last two years of the agency that regulates the casino industry.

Before his appointment to the board, DuCharme spent 20 years with the Metropolitan Police Department, retiring as commander of the Crime Prevention Bureau.

"The state of Nevada has been fortunate to have a man of Steve DuCharme's experience and integrity serve for so long and with such distinction on a very important board," Guinn said.

DuCharme is getting married Saturday to Patty Becker, a former member of the Gaming Control Board. She is an officer in some gaming operations. DuCharme said he was looking forward to retirement and a chance to spend more time with his family. He said he believed the board was the finest gaming regulatory body in the world.

No replacement has been named for DuCharme in the $103,000 a year job, but rumors have circulated that Scherer may be headed for that job.

There reportedly has been unrest in the governor's office, and the governor is considering a change in Scherer's position, according to one informed source who asked not to be named.

Scherer, a former Las Vegas assemblyman, said, "I've heard that rumor, but I don't know if it's true."

Guinn is in Tampa, Fla., attending the Republican Governors Convention and could not be reached for comment. His news secretary, Jack Finn, had no comment on Scherer leaving.

But another source close to Guinn, who also asked not to be identified, said an announcement would be made soon, possibly as early as next week.

Scherer was originally enticed by Guinn to leave Las Vegas and join the administration as his legal counsel. When Chief of Staff Pete Ernaut resigned, the governor promoted Scherer.

Scherer said he has heard rumors that Ernaut will be appointed to replace him. But he said those rumors are not true.

Ernaut also denied he would return to state government. He said he wants to continue in his private business and is not going to return to government service, either in Carson City or Washington.

Ernaut was a consultant to both the Nevada campaigns of Sen.-elect John Ensign and Texas Gov. George W. Bush, the GOP presidential candidate. He said however, he would help Guinn out with some lobbying during the 2001 Legislature.

There have been reports that Scherer and the governor's chief policy adviser, Denise Miller, haven't seen eye-to-eye. Scherer has been partly blamed for the problems encountered in drawing up the governor's prescription drug program for elderly.

Miller was co-chairman of the governor's task force to review government. And the group came up with scores of recommendations on how to save money and make government more efficient. She reportedly has job offers outside government, but has been reluctant to switch.

Asked if the governor has ever requested that he leave, Scherer said no. The two have talked about various options, Scherer said. And he said the governor has never expressed dissatisfaction with his performance.

"Whatever I do will be with the governor's support," Scherer said.

Prior to joining the Guinn administration Scherer was associate general counsel and executive director of corporate development for International Game Technology, the largest manufacturer of slot machines in the world. He served two terms in the Assembly and was the GOP nominee for attorney general in 1998 but lost to incumbent Frankie Sue Del Papa.

This potential switch comes as Guinn gets ready to go into the Legislature in January.

One name being mentioned as a possible replacement for Scherer is Marybel Batjer, who has extensive experience in federal and state service but not in Nevada. Batjer is the daughter of former Nevada Supreme Court Justice Cameron Batjer.

She recently held an executive job at the Mirage but was laid off when MGM Grand took over the operation.

Batjer, who lives in Henderson, said Thursday she is looking for a job but has not had any contact with the Guinn administration.

She served in top level staff jobs for 11 years during the Reagan and Bush administrations and is a close friend of retired Gen. Colin Powell.

If Bush wins the election, she could probably land a job in Washington again, but she said she wants to remain in Nevada.

She left Washington in 1992 to become second in command at the California Employment and Housing Department in Sacramento. She left that job when Republican Gov. Pete Wilson lost his re-election bid.