Five in running to be new leader of regents

Jennifer Knight

Thursday, June 13, 2002 | 10:54 a.m.

Nothing ever seems easy with the Board of Regents -- and the process of choosing a new chairperson is no exception.

Five members of the 11-person board, which operates Nevada's public universities and colleges, are bucking for the unpaid post.

No clear favorite has emerged, no definitive voting procedure has been set -- and of the five who are vying for the position, one has already run into opposition from his peers, who say he has a conflict of interest.

"It's a mess," Regent Steve Sisolak said. "More than a third of the board wants to be chair of the board. This is ridiculous.

"I see the potential for it (to get dirty) with so many candidates."

It's a lot of competition for a position that even the current chairwoman says carries little tangible power.

"I don't think there's any advantage to being chair,"said Thalia Dondero, whose two-year term as chairwoman expires June 20.

Regents Doug Hill and Howard Rosenberg, of Northern Nevada, unofficially have put their names up for consideration. From the south, Mark Alden, Doug Seastrand and Linda Howard are in the running.

A sixth contender could emerge. Asked if she would like to have her term extended for another year, Dondero said: "Sure. I love what I'm doing. I'm like the mayor (Oscar Goodman). I'm the happiest person in the world."

Rosenberg, the current vice chairman, represents the most popular and controversial choice so far. Three regents have publicly opposed his candidacy because of his position as professor at the University of Nevada, Reno.

Three others say they are leaning toward choosing Rosenberg, according to board sources.

Rosenberg said he was angered by his critics, who maintain he would use his position to benefit UNR.

"After six years, if these birdbrains don't know how I operate then they will never have a clue," Rosenberg said. "I have worked for six years to try and be as even-handed as I can be, to give these kids the best possible education I can possibly give them."

Alden said that as chairman, Rosenberg would be signing documents that could potentially place his institution at an advantage.

"I plan to abstain on Howard," Alden said. "I think he's a very, very good board member. I think he works very hard. (But) I have a real problem with him being a paid employee (of the university). I think it's a complete conflict of interest."

Knight Allen, a political activist, has even called for Rosenberg to be removed as vice chairman, saying it is a violation of the state's constitution. The statute he quoted states: "No one with the power to execute public policy may make public policy."

"All that matters is that Professor Rosenberg has placed himself above the constitution, has breached the wall of separation and has commingled two of the three distinct powers of government in his hands," Allen wrote in a letter last week.

Tom Ray, the university system's general counsel, has determined that those qualified to serve as regent can also serve as chairperson. The state Ethics Commission in 1996 ruled that Rosenberg could be a regent.

The power of the chairperson is subtle. That member is usually in on behind-the-scenes meetings involving university system issues and has opportunities to shape agenda items. That person also can set the tone of a debate, or even cut it off. Regents sometimes seek the chairperson's advice on issues as well.

A new chairperson will be chosen during the board's June 19-20 meeting in Elko. It's unclear precisely how the vote will unfold, according to Dondero.

But Sisolak warned against waiting for board members to simply toss out a name and begin voting. He said that the first person mentioned could garner "courtesy votes" from his or her colleagues, skewing the process.