Malone’s career taking some turns

Adrienne Packer

Friday, Aug. 17, 2001 | 11:05 a.m.

During his four-year term, former Clark County Commissioner Lance Malone was lauded for formulating more stringent laws regulating adult businesses and criticized because of ethical lapses.

Ironically, adult businesses and ethics are subjects that have recently brought Malone's name back into conversations at the Clark County Government Center.

Malone, who lost his bid for a second term on the board to fellow Republican Chip Maxfield, is lobbying on behalf of well-known adult business owner Michael Galardi. He has also inquired -- with both Commissioner Erin Kenny and County Manager Thom Reilly -- about managerial positions within the county, Reilly said.

Malone, who began his firm -- GR Consulting -- after he left office, worked with Galardi on permits to build a driveway overhang at Cheetahs strip club and has partnered with Galardi in San Diego.

The San Diego Union Tribune reported last week that Malone helped Galardi try to obtain permits for a topless club in San Diego. Malone could not be reached for comment this week.

Most San Diego council members said they don't want a strip club in their district. Malone, perceived by many as the straight-laced board member, leaned the same way when he was a Clark County commissioner.

Two years ago Malone authored a controversial ordinance that increased, from 500 feet to 1,000 feet, the required distance separating adult clubs and bookstores from similar businesses. Metro Police officials said that calls for police assistance decreased by 22 percent in areas where such businesses are 1,000 feet apart.

When the ordinance was introduced in 1999, Malone said he pursued the new law after seeing clusters of adult businesses open on Industrial Drive, which runs parallel to the Strip.

Malone said he wanted to protect hotel-casinos from an influx of strip clubs and adult bookstores.

"This is a good ordinance that will protect the hotel industry," Malone said in 1999. "We will be aggressive and take it all the way to court."

Aside from working with Galardi, Malone has expressed an interest in returning to the Clark County Government Center as a department head.

Reilly said Malone called his former colleague Kenny about the recently vacated position of director of the Parks and Recreation Department. According to Reilly, Kenny referred Malone to the county manager's office.

Reilly said that, to his knowledge, Malone -- a former Metro Police traffic officer -- has never worked in the parks and recreation field.

"We will obviously make the decision based on someone with parks and recreation experience," Reilly said. "We're looking for people with specific experience in parks and recreation." Some county sources questioned whether Malone's inquiry into a new job violated a county ethics code that requires a one year "cooling off" period. The law prohibits elected officials or employees from lobbying commissioners within a year after they leave the Government Center.

Larry Spitler, who helped write the county ethics code, said Malone's actions would only be questioned if he expected to land the job without going through a competitive process.

"Because he knows certain people, he's asking questions of them," Spitler said. "That in and of itself is not illegal or questionable."

County sources also said Malone's name has been mentioned as a possible candidate for a job in the business licensing division.

Business Licensing Director Ardel Jorgenson said she has heard rumblings about Malone, but said a full-time position in her department has never been discussed with the former commissioner.

Jorgenson did, however, say she and Malone discussed the possibility of him doing consulting work after the one-year cooling off period expired.

"We've discussed using him in a consulting capacity," Jorgenson said. "His relationship with Metro might benefit business licensing."

Malone lost his bid for re-election largely because of a campaign to defeat him that was launched by Station Casinos. Malone upset Station officials and Spring Valley residents when he vowed to vote against a competing neighborhood casino, then changed his mind at the last minute.

Also during his tenure, Malone went before the Nevada State Ethics Commission after he voted to grant a lucrative disadvantaged business contract at McCarran International Airport to his wife's best friend. Malone did not disclose the relationship, then later said he didn't realize the woman was the same person as his wife's friend.