Weekly reveals ties to car dealer

Diana Sahagun

Wednesday, Aug. 15, 2001 | 11:24 a.m.

Disclosure raises questions about councilman's vote

Las Vegas Councilman Lawrence Weekly accepted a car from Courtesy Automobile Group owner Joseph Scala during his campaign this year, then twice voted to deny a rival car dealership's application for a new site.

The disclosure is significant because of similar votes by two other council members who have drawn ethics complaints.

On Friday Weekly filed an amended campaign contribution and expense form with the city clerk that included a $1,440 in-kind contribution from Courtesy Oldsmobile, which is owned by Scala. Weekly said Tuesday that he received one car from Courtesy for use during his campaign.

Voting on matters affecting campaign contributors is not illegal, as long as council members disclose the contribution in campaign reports. The votes on the request by car dealer John Staluppi Jr. were in June and July, weeks before the amended report was filed.

In recent months a relationship with Scala has entangled Councilmen Michael Mack and Larry Brown in two ethics complaints and a lawsuit seeking their removal from office.

Mack and Brown will appear before the Las Vegas Ethics Commission and a District Court judge Thursday on charges they tried to broker a deal between Scala, who owns land in Town Center designated for car dealerships, and Staluppi, who sought to build a dealership outside the area.

Weekly submitted the amendment to his campaign contribution report about the same time rumors began circulating that Mack had received trucks from Scala for use during his campaign.

Mack acknowledged Monday that Scala may have lent him trucks during his campaign. Mack did not report the contribution to the city or state as required, but said he would submit an amended return if needed.

In June Mack led a vote to deny Staluppi's car dealership in the northwest, saying it went against the intent of Town Center. Days later Mack disclosed he had taken a $60,000 loan from Scala and asked for the item to be reconsidered so he could abstain. The dealership was denied a second time by Brown, Weekly and council members Lynette Boggs McDonald and Gary Reese.

Weekly said he did not report the contribution when the first form was due March 27 because Courtesy had not given him the necessary paperwork for the value of the truck. Weekly said he was not concerned, because his accountant told him he could submit an amendment.

Weekly, who voted along with other council members to deny the Staluppi dealership twice, said the car had nothing to do with his vote. He added that he has no relationship with Scala and only met him once at a fund-raiser for another official. Scala's Courtesy Oldsmobile donated $5,000 to Weekly's campaign.

Weekly said he depended strictly on Mack's recommendation when making his decision to deny the dealership. The council usually follows the recommendation of the member who represents the area, he said.

"The car had no effect on me," Weekly said. "The only thing that affected me on my vote is that I sat there, and I went clearly off of what (Mack) recommended."

Weekly said he did not mention the contribution at the time of the votes because he thought an amendment had already been made to his campaign contribution form.

After the controversy surrounding Scala began to surface weeks following the vote in June, Weekly said he found out his accountant had not received the Courtesy form.

Weekly said his accountant immediately began seeking the information.

Had Weekly made the amendment prior to the two dealership votes, he would not have had to disclose the contribution during the meeting. A recent ethics ruling involving Boggs McDonald determined that she did not have to disclose an in-kind contribution before voting because she had already reported it in forms filed with the city clerk.

Although Weekly said he received the Courtesy paperwork three to four weeks ago, he said he waited to file the amendment until it was time to resubmit contribution forms.

"As far as I am concerned, I don't feel bad about it," Weekly said. "I wish I would have had the form when I needed it, because it would have been on there definitely. But it was no secret that I had the car for my campaign."