Wednesday, Nov. 19, 2003 | 11:14 a.m.
The Las Vegas city manager apparently is going to fire Neighborhood Services Director Sharon Segerblom, who plans to fight the action, sources close to the issue say.
Segerblom's husband claims her supervisors have a conflict of interest and says his wife will sue the city.
City Manager Doug Selby said he is trying to set up meetings with Segerblom and Wendell Williams, who worked for her in the department. "Because now there are threats of litigation I don't want to go into how I think these meetings might end up," Selby said. "But termination remains an option."
Attorney Richard Segerblom, who specializes in termination cases, said late Tuesday that "we're suing them."
He filed a complaint with the state Ethics Commission this morning.
He said Sharon Segerblom's supervisors, Selby and Deputy City Manager Betsy Fretwell, have a conflict of interest because Selby's wife and Fretwell's roommate have an employee-to-supervisor relationship at the Clark County air quality program. Selby's wife works for Fretwell's roommate.
"You can't supervise someone and give them favors for financial benefit, and for the city manager, Selby, to protect Fretwell is a financial benefit to Fretwell, which in turn means his wife will get favorable treatment," Richard Segerblom said.
Selby said the charges "seems like a desperate attempt to deflect from the real issue, Sharon and her relationship as a supervisor over Wendell Williams. ... It seems like an act of desperation that they would go so far as to suggest something like that."
Selby also said he "would have no problem disciplining Miss Fretwell if that were necessary, independent of my wife's employment."
Fretwell, who was not available for comment Wednesday morning, conducted the city's first investigation into time cards filed by Williams while he was serving in the 2003 Legislature. Williams agreed to pay back $6,700, but later said he did it because he was pressured by Sharon Segerblom, who in turn was pressured by the city manager's office.
Fretwell investigated that and other issues related to the matter, and recommended discipline up to or including termination.
In the course of that investigation, media requests of time cards filed by Williams and Assemblyman Morse Arberry, who worked in the same department, resulted in the public disclosure that both had used large amounts of sick time to receive almost full-time pay from the city while serving in the 2001 Legislature.
Mayor Oscar Goodman asked the city auditor to review those time cards. That report, released Monday, indicated that Arberry, who no longer is with the city, and Williams received favorable treatment from Segerblom, and that they inappropriately used the sick leave.
Morse Arberry, who refused to meet with the auditor, was not available for comment. Calls were referred to his lawyer, Gene Porter, who had no comment.
Williams' lawyer, Larry Semenza, said Wednesday morning that he was to meet with Williams today. He said that Williams earlier indicated he was going to address council at the special meeting set for next Tuesday.
"It continues to be of interest to me how the city manager wishes to bring this matter to the public rather than treat it as a personnel matter," Semenza said.
Goodman has declined to comment on the issue, other than to say that the City Council would meet in a special session Tuesday to discuss the auditor's report. He has consistently said that the process would be as public as possible.
He did address the issue Tuesday night during the broadcast of his live television show "Las Vegas Town Hall," when a caller asked him about the audit.
Goodman replied first by stating that the city operates under a "manager form of government," which means that employee issues are handled by the city manager. With Fretwell sitting next to him, he said with a smile, "I can't fire Betsy even if I wanted to."
He said after the first review, Selby -- "to his credit" -- counseled the mayor that he could seek a further review, to be performed by the city auditor, who is independent of the city manager's office.
Goodman said he followed that advice, and the city will be the better for it. He said the audit indicated some "serious issues" relating to city employees who served in the Legislature, and those who were involved with them.
He expected those issues to be dealt with during the special meeting next Tuesday, and "if the city has to take some lumps, show some warts, so be it."
Selby has said he was confident that Fretwell handled the initial investigation properly.
Richard Segerblom said the fact that Fretwell works for Selby and Selby's wife works for Fretwell's roommate violates Nevada law, under NRS 281.481, section 2: "A public officer or employee shall not use his position in government to secure or grant unwarranted privileges, preferences, exemptions or advantages for himself, any member of his household, any business entity in which he has a significant pecuniary interest, or any other person."
He also quoted from NRS 281.481 section 9: "A public officer or employee shall not attempt to benefit his personal or financial interest through the influence of a subordinate."
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