Columnist Jeff German: Strip club handouts soil hands of recipients

Friday, May 30, 2003 | 11:19 a.m.

The FBI may have raided his topless joint, but Crazy Horse Too owner Rick Rizzolo hasn't stopped trying to exert his political influence.

Campaign reports show that Rizzolo contributed $5,000 on May 8 to the re-election campaign of Municipal Judge Toy Gregory -- about 10 weeks after the FBI executed search warrants at the Crazy Horse Too looking for records of hidden mob ownership.

The law firm representing the Crazy Horse Too, Patti & Sgro, also gave Gregory $500 on May 8.

Gregory sees nothing wrong with taking money from Rizzolo -- probably because he knows that a slew of other politicians, from the mayor of Las Vegas to Nevada Supreme Court justices, also have been at the receiving end of Rizzolo's campaign generosity over the years.

"The topless clubs have just as much right to donate as anyone else," Gregory said Wednesday. "They don't expect anything in return from me."

Records show that Gregory is the only elected official to accept contributions from Rizzolo after learning of the strip club operator's troubles with the FBI.

The judge also took $5,000 from Rizzolo on Jan. 28, and accepted a total of $7,000 from Mike Galardi and his father, Jack, before the FBI raided their topless clubs on May 14 in a probe into possible political corruption.

Gregory's integrity has never been questioned, and his name has not surfaced in either investigation. But his willingness to take cash from Rizzolo amid the FBI scrutiny shows how habit-forming it has become for politicians to accept strip club money on the campaign trail.

Candidates are constantly under pressure to raise money to stay competitive in their races. So it's easy to look to the topless clubs, which are anxious to oblige them.

When District Attorney David Roger ran for office last year, Rizzolo and other adult club operators stood in line to throw money at his campaign. Roger collected $45,000 from the clubs until his opponent made an issue out of the contributions, and Roger realized it wouldn't look good being close to businesses his office helps regulate. So he gave the money back.

Gregory is correct when he says Rizzolo has every right to participate in the political process. Rizzolo has a business license, and he hasn't been charged with a crime. The FBI is only investigating him.

But that doesn't mean Gregory has to take Rizzolo's money.

Rizzolo hands out campaign contributions for one reason -- to give him enough political clout to stay in business.

In Las Vegas and Clark County, strip clubs also have the ability to give elected officials consulting contracts and donate money to their favorite trust funds. That increases the perception that votes or legal decisions affecting the clubs may be for sale.

Until the political process is changed, the best way for elected officials to show the public that they can't be bought by the clubs is to break the habit of taking campaign money from them.