McDonald, chief liaison getting hard to contact

Erin Neff

Wednesday, Nov. 29, 2000 | 11:01 a.m.

Constituents looking these days for Las Vegas City Councilman Michael McDonald and his chief liaison, Rick Henry, are coming up empty. It's gotten to the point that city officials can only reach Henry -- who is paid $67,000 a year to work for the city -- by cell phone. And constituents have gotten so fed up with the unanswered calls to McDonald's office that they're calling the mayor and other council members.

Many other council liaisons are questioning how Henry can "get away" with not showing up for work.

City Manager Virginia Valentine, aware of the problem, said there is little she can do about Henry because he is technically "an appointed" employee supervised by McDonald.

"The appointed employees are supervised by the councilmen," Valentine said. "If he is working outside the office, it is up to Councilman McDonald to supervise him."

Since McDonald also has gone missing from City Hall, many believe that even the guise of supervision is now a thing of the past.

Some liaisons work evenings and weekends and are permitted to take off time during the week to compensate for the extra hours. Valentine said the flexible schedule makes it difficult to track each liaison's work hours.

Henry was reclassified as a senior management analyst this year at McDonald's request. The classification was supposed to include extra job duties, such as overseeing the other liaisons. It also came with an 8 percent raise.

Several of the council liaisons have told the Sun that Henry no longer shows for the meetings he's supposed to run.

"Since I don't see them, as long as the councilman says he's working, there's nothing I can do," Valentine said.

Neither Henry nor McDonald could be reached for this story at City Hall, on their cell phones or at their homes.

One of the reasons it's increasingly hard to find McDonald is that he has quietly moved out of his country club home.

Dogged by questions about his lifestyle and reeling from ethics charges, McDonald left his $282,000 Canyon Gate Country Club digs for a more modest $150,000 home nearby.

In response to calls from the Sun, McDonald told a city spokeswoman that he moved out of his Canyon Gate home "about a month ago," submitting a change of address with the city's human resources department.

The address he listed with Human Resources is 1804 Crystal Glen Court, a home valued at $150,170 according to county assessor's department records.

The Canyon Gate home, which McDonald said he was leasing at a good deal, was purchased new at $282,000 in 1995 and is believed to be worth substantially more today. That home, at 9016 Opus Drive, is owned by Bobbett Lee-Taylor, the wife of Anthony Tegano.

Tegano's daughter from a previous marriage, Sharon, is married to Joseph Cusumano. Cusumano, reputed to be Tony Spilotro's replacement in Las Vegas for the Chicago mob, is in Nevada's Black Book of people banned from casinos.

McDonald did not notify the city clerk's office, which keeps public records, of his change of address. Public officials are only required to list their address for the public record when they file for election or re-election, but most routinely update records when something changes.

The home on Crystal Glen Court is owned by Maurino and Melissa Datu of Carson, Calif., with et al owners listed as Engelberto Lacson, Marilou T. Lesaca, Fernando C. Lesaca and Perpetua C. Lesaca.

McDonald is not listed as an owner of the home, but could be renting from the other owners. None of the owners could be reached.

Crystal Glen Court is in a gated community off West Oakey Boulevard just south of Durango Drive and the Canyon Gate Country Club in Ward 1.

Suspicions had arisen around City Hall that McDonald no longer lives in his ward. Some believed he was living with his parents on Carmen Boulevard, a home now in Ward 2, which McDonald lists as his mailing address.

McDonald's voice is on the answering machine message at his parent's home saying, "We're not home."

Some at City Hall believed McDonald was living with his girlfriend in Green Valley in a home, which also is not in his ward.

Although numerous people who work on the 10th floor of City Hall said McDonald was rarely at work this summer, he has been absent even more since news of ethics charges, police investigations and an FBI probe hit the press this fall.

Council positions are part-time jobs, paying just under $40,000 a year.