Mack amends campaign form to show gift from car dealer

Diana Sahagun

Thursday, Aug. 16, 2001 | 11:03 a.m.

Las Vegas Councilman Michael Mack, who is facing ethics complaints alleging conflict of interest, said Wednesday that he accepted trucks from Courtesy Automotive Owner Joseph Scala during his 2001 election campaign.

The councilman submitted an amendment to his campaign contribution form listing a $2,660 in-kind campaign contribution from Courtesy Pontiac.

Mack, charged with voting to deny a rival car dealership in the northwest in June because he was catering to Scala, is appearing before a District Court judge and the Las Vegas Ethics Commission today.

In June Mack led a vote to deny a car dealership proposed for Town Center by John Staluppi Jr. Mack said the dealership was not consistent with city officials' vision for the center.

Days later Mack said he accepted a $60,000 loan from Scala in September 2000 to cover mounting debts involving his First Class & Pawn shop. He asked for the dealership item to be considered again, which would allow him to abstain. A second vote was taken, and the dealership was denied.

Mack, who recently disclosed more than $3.3 million in business-releated debt, said Tuesday evening that he had been lent "a truck or a van" during his election campaign this year, but he did not know the source of the vehicle or even how many had been given.

Mack said his campaign manager, Michael Kern, was responsible for documenting more than $500,000 in campaign donations, in addition to several in-kind campaign contributions. Mack said he didn't know the in-kind campaign contribution had not been reported earlier.

"I was pretty far removed from the actual reporting from the campaign and the day-to-day operations," Mack said. "All the checks went straight to (Kern's) office. He wrote them down and faxed me a list, and I would write thank you letters."

Kern did not return calls seeking comment.

Mack said he made the change Wednesday, the last day to submit amended campaign forms.

On Friday, Lawrence Weekly amended his campaign form to include a vehicle contribution.

Weekly, whose amended form included a $1,440 in-kind contribution from Courtesy Pontiac, said he did not report the contribution when the first report was due in March because the dealership had not provided his accountant with paperwork detailing the worth of the car.

Voting on matters affecting campaign contributors is not illegal if council members disclose the contribution in campaign reports.

Had Weekly or Mack made the amendments before voting on Staluppi's dealership they would not have been required to disclose the contribution during the council meeting.

And though Councilwoman Lynette Boggs McDonald received vehicles from Scala during her campaign this year, she reported, in her second contribution form due to the city May 29, a $960 in-kind campaign contribution from Courtesy Pontiac.

Attorney Anthony Sgro, who is suing Mack on behalf of Staluppi, said Mack's amendment sends up a red flag.

"When you sign under penalty of perjury, you can't go back and fix it and once you get caught," Sgro said Tuesday. "That's like telling the IRS you defrauded them on your income tax return and then, once you get caught, you go back and say you'll fix the form. There's no exception called, 'You caught me, so I'll change it.' "