Lawmaker discloses he received sick leave

Mary Manning and Ed Koch

Tuesday, Nov. 18, 2003 | 11:12 a.m.

State Sen. Ray Rawson disclosed Monday that he had inadvertently been put on sick leave from the Community College of Southern Nevada during the 1999 Legislature while undergoing treatments for cancer and has repaid the money.

Political experts and his likely challenger in 2004, Assemblyman Bob Beers, R-Las Vegas, praised Rawson, R-Las Vegas, for the disclosure, but warned that other lawmakers on public payrolls should review their files from legislative sessions in which they have served.

Political observers also say that politicians going to great lengths to disclose finances and other ethical situations -- whether they are public employees or are from the private sector -- likely will be a trend for upcoming elections.

"People are just tired of other people deceiving them," longtime Las Vegas political consultant Tom Letizia of Letizia Ad Team said. "Issues of disclosure and ethics are coming into focus, and those running for office will have to show their cards."

Rawson said that in October -- after disclosures that other legislators who work for government agencies had been paid their regular salaries during legislative sessions -- he asked his staff to audit his personnel records. The audit disclosed 19 days of paid sick leave during the 1999 Legislature, he said.

He had already been on leave for the cancer treatments when that Legislature convened, he said. Apparently the community college did not change his status, he said.

"It wasn't an intention of mine," Rawson said. "I was surprised to find this."

Rawson revealed the disclosure Monday on "Face to Face With Jon Ralston" on Las Vegas ONE, Cox cable channels 1 and 39.

Beers, who is expected to challenge Rawson in next year's primary election, said based on the senator's cancer, he would have expected him to take sick leave.

"If he paid it back, it sounds like as a legitimate reason to take sick leave as I've ever heard," Beers said.

Political consultant Billy Vassiliades also praised Rawson's disclosure and said all lawmakers should check their payroll records.

"Anybody who is smart is going to go back and check," Vassiliades said. "Ray Rawson always has prided himself on his integrity."

Political expert Kent Oram of Oram Ingram & Zurawski, Inc., said Rawson is "... a role model for what people should do."

Letizia said Rawson's action is likely to set a precedent for next year's elections.

"I think voters are going to look at this during next year's campaigns. Ethics will be a big issue. They will want to see candidates go the extra mile. I would hope anyone who wants to get re-elected will (disclose). It sounds to me it was a very honorable thing that Senator Rawson did."

George Harris, a political observer with Nevadans for Sound Government, who has a petition drive for a ballot initiative to ban public employees from serving as lawmakers, said the disclosure issue will play a significant role in the next election.

"The voters are not dumb -- they see in so many cases that these folks use their positions chairing major committees to increase budgets for their bosses by double and triple digits," Harris said.

"All of these government workers in the Legislature are going to have opponents and they will remind voters about what happened in the last session."

Letizia does not agree with Harris and others who say to avoid similar future problems public employees should be outlawed from running for the citizen Legislature.

"The problem is that you just remove more people from the electoral process who want to serve," he said. "If you eliminate public employees, what does that leave you?"

Letizia said Nevadans may have to confront the issue of making the Legislature full-time jobs with full-time salaries because "until then, you will see this kind of problem."

Letizia noted, however that many public employees finding themselves under so much scrutiny might opt not to run for state office, "but that's just the way it is being under a microscope."