New Moncrief complaint filed

Tuesday, June 24, 2003 | 9:43 a.m.

A third purported supporter of Las Vegas Councilwoman Janet Moncrief's campaign has told state officials that he was part of a deception by the campaign.

Robert Conrad said he was asked by Moncrief's campaign to register the name "Committee to Oust Michael McDonald" with the secretary of state's office. He said that after he registered the name, on March 31, 2003, Moncrief sent out a campaign flier under that organization's name.

In a letter to the deputy secretary of elections office for the secretary of state that was received June 18, the day Moncrief was sworn into office, Conrad alleges that Moncrief's consultant Tony Dane "informed me that Janet Moncrief mailed the flyer (sic) and he was unable to stop her.

"Mr. Dane also told me that Ms. Moncrief asked Mr. Christoff to take responsibility for the mailer."

Conrad is referring to Peter "Chris" Christoff, who ran against Moncrief and McDonald in the primary, and who also filed a complaint with the secretary of state alleging that Moncrief fabricated the names of groups supposedly responsible for campaign mailers, that she committed other infractions and that he helped her with them.

Moncrief has declined to comment on Conrad's letter, other than to say there is no substance to the allegations.

In her May 30 letter of response to a formal complaint filed April 25 with the secretary of state by McDonald's campaign manager, Jim Ferrence, accusing Moncrief of campaign violations, she wrote: "I have no knowledge of the Committee to Oust Michael McDonald."

Former Las Vegas Councilman Steve Miller also has filed a complaint with the secretary of state, alleging he helped Moncrief with campaign fliers critical of McDonald, and coached her for TV talk show appearances -- services she did not report as campaign disclosures, he said.

Conrad, who does not live in Moncrief's Ward 1, also declined to comment beyond what was in his letter, other than to confirm he sent it. He said his role in the campaign beyond setting up the committee was to help put up signs for Moncrief at Dane's request.

Conrad, who described himself only as a retired salesman, has been involved in political activism with Dane in the past. A November 1998 Sun photo showed Conrad holding a protest sign while Dane handed out information critical of county commissioners at the County Government Center.

Tuesday morning Dane acknowledged that he asked Conrad to file the committee with the secretary of state's office, but he declined to specifically comment on Conrad's letter.

"I have not had a chance to talk to him (Conrad) about it, and I have not yet read his complaint," Dane said. "It wouldn't be fair for me to comment on it."

Asked for his comment on the ex-campaign supporters filing complaints, while he has not, Dane said, "Janet has been loyal to me and I will remain loyal to her."

Steve George, spokesman for the secretary of state's office, confirmed that to date three allegations have been sent to the secretary of state's office by people who say they worked for Moncrief's campaign. He said at this point an inquiry is being conducted, not an investigation.

An investigation, he said, would be conducted either by the Nevada Division of Investigations or the attorney general's office if the secretary of state's office finds any substance to the allegations.

George said that while Moncrief has received a letter from the secretary of state regarding Ferrence's complaint, she has not yet been sent letters of inquiry on the allegations leveled by Christoff, Miller or Conrad.