Organizational shakeup expected in county offices

Adrienne Packer

Thursday, Oct. 25, 2001 | 8:22 a.m.

Two Clark County department chief positions will be eliminated, and County Manager Thom Reilly will get a third assistant if recommendations made by an organizational review committee are put into place, sources said.

The recommendations came from a six-member review board, which spent 90 days studying how county government services could be delivered more efficiently.

Reilly said he won't elaborate on the reorganization of county divisions until he meets with department heads Monday.

"I can't confirm anything," Reilly said. "The committee's 90 days is up, and it came up with recommendations. That's all I'm prepared to say."

County officials said Reilly has interviewed Katherine Cortez, an attorney previously in charge of former Gov. Bob Miller's Las Vegas office, for a newly created third assistant county manager position.

Cortez, the daughter of Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority President Manny Cortez, is currently working in Washington. She reportedly interviewed for the position last weekend and was offered the job, though she has yet to accept the offer.

Cortez would join Mike Alastuey and Rick Holmes as Reilly's assistants.

Also being discussed by the reorganization committee and Reilly is the elimination of the general services director's job and the top human resources post. Both are currently vacant.

The General Services Department, which includes the automotive, business development and contract and purchasing divisions, will be shifted to the Finance Department.

Human Resources will be placed under the Administrative Services Department, county sources said. Human Resources Director Beverly Glode took a position with District Court's "self-help" program in July.

"We're still talking to department heads, and we'll meet Monday to go through the details," Reilly said Wednesday, emphasizing that administrators are only discussing possibilities. "Nothing will be finalized until Tuesday."

Another recommendation includes placing neighborhood services and animal control responsibilities under the Parks and Recreation Department. The county is also looking for a new parks and recreation director. Glenn Trowbridge, the former director, retired in July.

Reilly launched the "Organizational and Resource Review Project" shortly after he took office this past summer. His intention was to begin discussions in regard to improving county services.

The committee included former county Administrative Services Director Terry Murphy, former county Finance Director Guy Hobbs, R&R Advertising's Dale Erquiaga, former Chamber of Commerce boss Bob Forbuss, lobbyist Rose McKinney-James and businessman Jeremy Aguero.