Goodman says lawmakers should keep benefits, not pay

Friday, Oct. 24, 2003 | 9:31 a.m.

Las Vegas Mayor Oscar Goodman says he believes city employees who serve in the state Legislature should give up their municipal salaries during legislative sessions, but continue to receive health insurance benefits.

Goodman said at his weekly news conference Thursday he is receiving daily briefings on the city auditor's investigation into payroll policies regarding city workers who hold state office, and other personnel.

The controversy stems from Assemblyman Wendell Williams, D-Las Vegas, a city employee, and others allegedly "double-dipping" by collecting sick time and pay from local governments while simultaneously receiving their compensation as state lawmakers during the legislative sessions.

Goodman said it is likely that when the investigation by the city auditor's office is complete, Williams, who has been suspended and has agreed to pay back part of his salary, and others could face further disciplinary action.

In addition to not collecting salary or sick pay from their city job on days they are receiving pay for their work at the Legislature, Goodman said he believes public employees should disqualify themselves on matters that affect not only their own city, but also other local governments.

The mayor said that while city workers should not be required to work on city business while at the Legislature -- and thus not receive a city salary -- they should retain their municipal health insurance benefits. He said a policy could be set to keep their coverage in effect while their salaries are suspended.

Goodman said people who chose to serve in public office have "to make sacrifices." He said he loses $1.95 million a year in salary he would make as a private attorney to fulfill his mayoral duties.

"That's a choice I made," Goodman said, noting he believes everyone should have a right to run for the Legislature, including municipal employees, "but not double-dip."

"I want to find out what happened," Goodman said. "I want to get to the bottom of this. It is my taxpayers that have been abused."

The mayor did not give specific examples, but he said he remembers that on some days at the Legislature "the city took its lumps" and that he now questions whether that may have resulted from "conflicts of interest" situations involving unnamed public employees.

Goodman did not say whether those lawmakers worked for his municipality or for other local governments that could have benefitted from the city not achieving its political objective from the Legislature.

Williams, a city Neighborhood Services Department employee, has been disciplined for what officials said was abuse of his municipal cell phone and violations of policy in filling out his time cards.

Williams maintains he did nothing wrong in claiming city work time while he was in the 2003 Legislature. He has, however, agreed to pay back about $6,700.

City officials have suspended Williams and his supervisor, each for two weeks, because of the time card issue. Deputy City Manager Betsy Fretwell recommended in her report that both workers be subject to further discipline "up to and including termination."

The city auditor's office is looking into time claimed on 2001 time cards filed by Williams and Assemblyman Morse Arberry, D-Las Vegas, who left the city's employ last year.