Herrera seeking to handle P.R. for developers

Thursday, Jan. 16, 2003 | 11:15 a.m.

When he was Clark County Commission chairman, Dario Herrera regulated development. Now that he has left public office, he will handle public relations for some of the developers that used to plead their cases before him when he was a commissioner.

Herrera, who left office at the beginning of this month, said Wednesday that he has formed his own public relations company, Aviso P.R., and among his clients are the Focus development companies and a member of the Molasky family, which owns or has interest in a host of development companies.

According to county policy established while he served as commissioner, Herrera is prohibited from lobbying the sitting board members on issues that he considered as commissioner.

"I completely intend to honor that policy," Herrera said.

The rule, however, does not provide for any sanctions on any former commissioner who breaks the policy.

Paul Brown, Southern Nevada director of the Progressive Leadership Alliance of Nevada, said it is customary for politicians leaving office to take on consulting work in public relations, law or some other venue.

"It's not an unusual move at all," Brown said. "Not only does he know the process, he knows the clients as a former county commissioner and assemblyman."

Some media had reported that Herrera was going to work for the Molaskys, and Herrera had abstained from votes on issues affecting the developers while still in office last month.

He explained at the time that he had been offered a job by the family.

Wednesday, however, Herrera said: "Molasky will be one of my clients. I will not be an employee of Molasky."

It was announced on Tuesday that developer Irwin Molasky, owner of the Molasky Group, will construct a new Internal Revenue Service office building in downtown Las Vegas.

Herrera said his new company will specialize in providing "valuable advice to a variety of companies and clients," especially in the fields of government and media relations.

The name of the company, Aviso, is the Spanish word for "announcement."

Herrera said the Focus group of companies, which is also a Clark County developer, will be another Aviso client. Herrera, a former Nevada assemblyman, said he also hopes to work with the Las Vegas Latin Chamber of Commerce and any other clients that seek assistance with media relations.

Herrera said his work with nonprofit projects to oppose the planned Yucca Mountain nuclear waste dump as well as his efforts to increase county literacy and promote U.S. citizenship in Southern Nevada will continue.

"I'm going to continue to be very active on issues important to the public, working to improve this community," he said.

Herrera did not rule out a return to politics but said his main focus will be to serve the community in his work with nonprofit groups and his clients through his consulting work.

"If there's another benefit down the line, that's an unintended consequence," he said.

Herrera, a Democrat, lost his bid for Congress to former state Sen. Jon Porter Nov. 5 by a margin of 19 percentage points. He had been dogged by criticism for his acceptance of a $42,000 consulting contract for the Las Vegas Housing Authority, a contract that did not have board approval.

He also was sharply criticized for county commission votes on a billboard ordinance that appeared to benefit some of his wife Emily's clients.

The criticism, he said, was politically motivated.