Commission OKs major changes in ethics rules

Wednesday, Nov. 19, 2003 | 8:32 a.m.

The Clark County Commission on Tuesday endorsed a sweeping new set of regulations designed to strengthen and expand ethical rules for members of the commission and county employees.

The commission directed county staff members to come back early next year with ordinances to implement some of the 12 recommendations created by a special citizens' task force earlier this year. Other changes would have to be passed by the Legislature and governor to accomplish everything the task force said needed to be done.

Among the changes expected to be made locally is the county manager would post a report detailing all of the conflict-of-interest disclosures and abstentions by commissioners. Another change would be that county officials disclose any potential conflict of interest to their superiors within county management.

Several changes that the task force called for require action by state lawmakers, county officials said. Those changes include a provision to allow the state Ethics Commission to fine officials for violations of the ethics rules, that officials who abstain cannot later participate in any way in discussions or votes on an issue, and that gifts of more than $50 would have to be disclosed. Currently only gifts valued at more than $200 have to be disclosed.

Commissioner Rory Reid said the task force, which he and Commissioner Bruce Woodbury asked in May to convene, provided the county with an "effective tool in protecting the public interest."

"Government is only effective when people support it and have faith in its work," Reid said.

The ethics work sprang in part from concerns about lobbying by former Commissioner Erin Kenny on behalf of a developer after Kenny left office in January. Since then, the county government has been battered by allegations of unethical conduct involving county Recorder Fran Deane, "double-dipping" by county employees who also served in the Legislature, and most recently the federal indictment or guilty pleas of three former commissioners and current Commissioner Mary Kincaid-Chauncey.

Woodbury said the new ethics rules should help ease public concerns about what is happening at the county.

"We cannot afford to see the public's trust in government eroded," he said. "These proposals go a long way in making it very clear what's expected of our elected officials and our county employees."