County plans new focus on diversity with reorganization

Adrienne Packer

Wednesday, Feb. 20, 2002 | 8:45 a.m.

Clark County's Equal Employment Office may soon take on a new name, and with its new purpose, administrators hope it will also entertain fewer lawsuits filed by disgruntled employees.

The name of the division is expected to be changed next month to the Office of Diversity, Clark County Manager Thom Reilly said.

Staff members will change their focus from simply investigating county employees' complaints to being more aggressive in addressing concerns before they become significant problems.

Their new responsibilities will include training department heads on diversity and familiarizing themselves with ongoing problems that plague divisions.

"We want to have a better understanding of what's going on in the county," Reilly said. "By identifying patterns and trends, the department will move from investigations to being more proactive."

Reilly said he hopes changes in the office will make the investigation process more objective. Rather than having staff members investigate cases and find just cause, Reilly said a committee has been assembled to find cause after probes are complete.

The committee charged with finding cause will include assistant county managers Rick Holmes, Mike Alastuey and Catherine Cortez-Masto, Deputy District Attorney Mary-Anne Miller and Public Defender Marcus Cooper.

"We'll have a diverse group of folks assessing the situation instead of one or two people in charge," Reilly said. "They'll look at the merit of whether they should proceed.

"This should stop the proliferation of lawsuits, and it gives the county manager a sense of what's going on in the county."

The new office will also develop recruitment plans and work on better familiarizing itself with the Las Vegas Valley's labor market. Reilly said the six staff members begin training March 1.

"This is a new direction and a new focus that's been used successfully elsewhere," Reilly said.