Lobbyist pays $100 for bottle of champagne for Williams

Friday, Oct. 10, 2003 | 9:32 a.m.

CARSON CITY -- John Cummings, a lobbyist for the Community College of Southern Nevada, paid $100 for a bottle of champagne for embattled Assemblyman Wendell Williams and his controversial female companion during the 2003 Legislature, it was revealed Thursday.

Cummings, who is also an adviser to the college president, said it was not entirely voluntary and he called it an "egregious" act on the part of Williams to order the champagne and charge it to taxpayers.

Williams could not be reached for comment about the expenditure this morning.

Once close friends, Cummings and Williams are now at odds over the hiring of of Williams' friend, Topazia "Briget" Jones, at the community college and the subsequent events. Cummings hired her and said he refused to promote her. When her job was threatened Williams met with Chancellor Jane Nichols on behalf of Jones. An internal investigation is under way.

At the Legislature lobbyists are required to file monthly reports on how much they spend on wining, dining and giving gifts to lobbyists. And they must identify whom the money was spent on.

Cummings in April filed his report with the Legislative Counsel Bureau, saying he had not shelled out any money on lawmakers.

When the furor over Williams and Jones arose, an internal audit started into spending by Cummings, who said he forgot to report the spending on Williams.

He filed an amended report Sept. 29 that said on March 4 he spent $125.60 for dinner for Williams at Glen Eagles Restaurant in Carson City. The report also said he spent $100 for dinner for Williams two days later, also at Glen Eagles.

The other reports filed by Cummings showed he usually spent $40 to $50 when taking a lawmaker to dinner and he was asked why the cost was so high for Williams.

Cummings said there was only one dinner with Williams.

He said that when he arrived at Glen Eagles on March 4, Williams and Jones were already eating and drinking. He said he ordered just a salad. He said he later paid the $125.60 bill and left Williams and Jones at the restaurant.

Cummings said he returned two days later to the restaurant to attend a charity affair for the Cancer Society and was approached by a waitress who told him that Williams had ordered a bottle of champagne to go. She told him Williams had directed that the $100.95 cents be charged to Cummings.

Cummings said he was surprised and shocked that Williams did such a thing. But he said it would have been unfair to stick the waitress with the $100.95 bill so he paid it.

The amended report show that that he also took Senate Minority Leader Dina Titus, D-Las Vegas to dinner in March spending $59. And he lunched with Assemblyman John Oceguera, D-Las Vegas, spending $32 in March.

The amended reports also show he took Titus to dinner twice in May. He reported spending $46 the first time and $49 the second time.

Cummings said he wasn't trying to hide anything by not disclosing on his first report the spending on Williams. He said the internal audit prompted his memory and he reviewed his records. He said he is a stickler in keeping accurate records.

He said he made a full report on the champagne incident to his superiors at the college.

He said he was the only lobbyist in the University and Community College System of Nevada that was audited. He estimated he spent $358 in wining and dining lawmakers during the session.