Tuesday, Nov. 4, 2003 | 9:40 a.m.
Assemblyman Wendell Williams' controversial "special assistant" Topazia "Briget" Jones returned to her job at the Community College of Southern Nevada last week after an extended leave.
Jones' absence -- which she said was a result of an allergic reaction to construction dust -- was the second such leave arranged by university system officials, her attorney Larry Semenza said.
Jones has been at the center of controversy since allegations surfaced that Williams, chairman of the Assembly Education Committee, pressured CCSN officials to hire her. Williams has denied those claims.
Jones, who went to Carson City during the legislative session to lobby for CCSN, presented herself as Williams' special assistant.
Officials of the University and Community College System of Nevada have hired a private investigator to look into the circumstances of her employment with the college.
Since Jones began working for CCSN, she has been promoted and then fired. Following a complaint she lodged, she was rehired, given two weeks administrative leave by university system Chancellor Jane Nichols and then relocated several times by CCSN administrators.
CCSN officials claim they did not know about Jones' latest absence and that all matters of her employment are being handled by the university system.
Regarding complaints of dust in Jones' workplace, Bob Gilbert, director of planning, design and construction at CCSN, said at the time Jones complained of illness, construction hadn't begun.
"At that point, all we had done was put up the plastic," Gilbert said.
Because of Jones' claim, an air quality study was conducted near her desk. A device that measures particulates showed dust levels at that location were lower than the safety standard.
Jones had been back to work only for a short period of time before being relocated to a satellite office on Sahara Avenue. After Jones complained to her lawyer that dust from remodeling work was making her ill, she was given more leave.
"I called Walt Ayers (a university system attorney) and asked what are you people doing?" Jones' lawyer Semenza said. "I told him she was right out there in front where all of the construction dust is. He said, 'You're kidding.' "
Instead of relocating Jones, university system officials arranged for Jones to be given more than one week off, CCSN spokeswoman Chris Giunchigliani said. CCSN officials were later notified.
But according to Semenza's account, Jones has been routinely moved since she filed her complaint, first to the Green Valley Tech Center, then to the executive offices and finally to the Sahara West offices that are now under construction.
"This is all very strange, this whole process," Semenza said.
Jones declined the Sun's request for an interview.
University system officials would not say how much time off Jones has been granted in her nearly 10 months of employment at CCSN nor would they answer questions about how much pay she has been given for time off.
A public records request made by the Sun was denied. Similar records have routinely been obtained by the Sun from other governmental entities under the state's open records law.
Attempts to reach university system lawyers Tom Ray and Ayers were unsuccessful. Nichols did not return calls either.
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