Wednesday, Aug. 27, 2003 | 10:58 a.m.
Clark County Manager Thom Reilly and the county attorney are working on ways to resolve questions surrounding County Recorder Fran Deane, but they are not going as far as the county employees union wants. The union wants Deane removed from office.
Deane's actions have come under question after she sought to block a contract to make documents from her office available on the Internet for free while exploring a company that would provide the same service for a fee.
"No action has been filed" against Deane, District Attorney David Roger said today. "It should be difficult to remove an elected official. There needs to be clear evidence of malfeasance or nonfeasance.
"It's a drastic remedy that should be used judiciously."
The union that represents 64 employees in the recorder's office says Deane is just such a case.
"We believe the grounds for removal exist," said Maryanne Salm, political director for the Service Employees International Union Local 1107.
She said a letter will be sent this week to the county manager with a copy to the district attorney seeking to have Deane removed for malfeasance or nonfeasance of office.
"This is based on her own statements that mail is behind by 20 days as well as for the impeding of the AmCad contract and the preferential treatment of title companies," Salm said.
"I was born and raised in Las Vegas, yet never have I seen such incompetence -- never have I heard of such a treatment of employees, the hostile work environment, the involuntary transfers and the fear of losing their jobs."
Salm said her union is not prepared to launch a recall election.
Deane earlier this month considered, then abandoned, marketing county records online through a for-profit company. She said she was just trying to make records more accessible.
Deane also admitted she impeded installation of a new computer system by a Virginia-based company, AmCad, which has a $4.9 million contract with the county. She has maintained that the county could have gotten the same product locally and at a cheaper price.
Deane, a Republican, said today she plans to stay and defended her performance.
"When I came to office, there was 186 days of backlog and in seven months I have managed to decrease that by more than 50 percent," she said.
As for in-office recording, Deane said members of the public are treated the same as representatives of the 14 area title companies.
"Everyone gets a number and they are called in order -- there is no preferential treatment," Deane said. "If anything, (they) are physically in and out faster than the title companies."
Deane also said that many employees in her office are non-union and that not all union employees favor her ouster.
"I have not had one union grievance filed against me," Deane said.
Roger said the county attorney and county manager's office have been discussing Deane's situation and ways to fix the problems without removing an elected official.
Roger said county leaders are "hopeful Ms. Deane will start performing her functions of office."
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