Mack, Brown face suitability hearings

Diana Sahagun

Friday, Aug. 10, 2001 | 10:32 a.m.

Thursday will be a full day for City Councilmen Michael Mack and Larry Brown, who, along with their private attorneys, must go through two hearings dealing with their suitability in office.

At 9 a.m. Thursday, District Court Judge Sally Loehrer will decide whether to investigate a malfeasance charge lodged against the councilmen by East Coast car dealer John Staluppi Jr.

The malfeasance charge -- which seeks the councilmen's removal from office -- is part of a civil lawsuit filed by attorney Anthony Sgro on behalf of Staluppi, whose proposed car dealership was denied by the council in June.

Later that day, at 1:30 p.m. at City Hall, a two-member panel of the Las Vegas Ethics Board will decide whether to hold a full hearing into an ethics complaint lodged against the councilmen, or to pass it off to the Nevada Ethics Commission. Staluppi has also filed a complaint to the Nevada Ethics Commission, but a hearing date has not yet been set.

The complaints came as a result of the council's denial of the car dealership June 5, a vote let by Mack.

Staluppi says he was promised by Mack that the dealership, on Rancho Drive near the Santa Fe hotel, would be approved.

In the days after the vote, Mack said he realized he had an outstanding $60,000 loan from rival car dealer Joseph Scala, and asked for the dealership item to be placed back on the agenda so he could abstain. The item was denied again.

Staluppi alleges that the councilmen were trying to broker a deal between Scala and Staluppi, and that Mack changed his vote because of leverage by Scala. Scala owns land inside Town Center that the city would like to be the site for an auto mall, similar to one in Henderson.

According to court documents filed July 30, Scala -- who owns Courtesy Automotive Group -- denies allegations that he intentionally interfered with the Staluppi application.