Former county official’s lawyers target complainant

Adrienne Packer

Thursday, June 21, 2001 | 11:18 a.m.

Attorneys working to deflect ethics allegations from former Clark County facilities chief Bill Barrett are requesting the complainant be penalized.

If Barrett's lawyers successfully argue their case, former facilities worker Gene Smith could be fined $5,000 and be required to reimburse his old boss for attorneys' fees.

"We believe this is nothing more than harassment," said Shawn Huggins, who is defending Barrett with law partner John Moran Jr. "We will show it was nothing more than vexation. Mr. Smith and others should be deterred from making such complaints."

Smith alleges Barrett campaigned for Clark County Commissioner Mary Kincaid-Chauncey while on duty. He also claims Barrett used his government vehicle while campaigning and often brought facilities workers with him.

Smith said Wednesday he wasn't surprised Barrett's attorneys filed a complaint.

"It's just like it is down at the county; they use smoke and mirrors to try to turn everything around and put it on someone else," Smith said. "Nothing those guys do will surprise me."

The case, which was scheduled to be heard by the Nevada Ethics Commission today, may not only cost Smith, it could be a pricey hearing for Clark County.

Barrett submitted a list of 26 witnesses, many of whom are Clark County managers or employees. Clark County is responsible for paying overtime to employees who testify after their normal shifts.

Clark County spokesman Doug Bradford said the county's union contract with employees treats ethics hearings like court appearances. Even though Barrett is no longer a county official, employees are appearing at the hearing as representatives of the county and therefore must be paid.

"We've listed a bunch of different people who worked on campaigns with Mr. Barrett, people who didn't work on campaigns, people who have worked there 20 years and people who have worked there one year," Huggins said.

Huggins said he won't call all the witnesses at the 3 p.m. hearing in room 4401 of the Sawyer State Office Building. He expects at least 10 to testify on Barrett's behalf.

Huggins said the witnesses will discuss Barrett's involvement in campaigns and show that his work was done on his own time.

"They'll really give a good idea of what happened there and how it worked when Mr. Barrett was running facilities over there," Huggins said.

Barrett's political involvement is not foreign to county administrators. He was reprimanded in an August 2000 memo written by Real Property Management Director Sandy Norskog after Barrett was seen leaving Beano's Casino and getting into his county vehicle while wearing a Kincaid-Chauncey T-shirt.

"Your actions were clearly a violation of county policy regarding political activity and the use of county-owned property," Norskog wrote.