Editorial: Consumers in crossfire

Friday, Oct. 3, 2003 | 4:35 a.m.

WEEKEND EDITION: Oct. 5, 2003

There's bad blood between Republican Attorney General Brian Sandoval, who was elected last November, and state consumer advocate Tim Hay, a Democrat who runs the Bureau of Consumer Protection, which is part of the attorney general's office. During the 2003 Legislature the two sparred over issues involving the regulation of telemarketers and big oil companies. Typically a new attorney general will bring in his own top aides, but because Hay is an appointed official whose term doesn't expire until 2005, Sandoval can't easily get rid of Hay. State law says the consumer advocate can only be removed from office if there is "inefficiency, neglect of duty or malfeasance in office." Nonetheless it appears Sandoval is laying the groundwork to, at the very least, make life miserable for Hay so that he resigns. That, however, would be a terrible thing.

Last week the preliminary results of a state audit of the consumer advocate's office, an examination that Sandoval sought, were leaked to the media. The finding from the audit that has received the most attention says that Hay is spending too much money on consultants -- $539,000 during the last fiscal year. But Hay has noted that the private consultants supplement his small full-time staff, enabling him to bring in outside experts when a number of rate-hike requests pile up all at once. The private consultants also can have the kind of expertise that does not always exist here in Nevada. During Hay's time in the post, he has helped consumers save tens of millions of dollars instead of paying too much to electric, gas and telephone companies.

Hay has done solid work in standing up to the state's monopolies. In the best interest of Nevada's consumers, Sandoval should back off and let Hay do his job.