Editorial: Williams, leadership don’t mix

Friday, Sept. 26, 2003 | 9:42 a.m.

Last week a Sun investigation revealed that state Assemblyman Wendell Williams, one of the Nevada Legislature's highest-ranking members, has repeatedly received citations for breaking traffic laws. The North Las Vegas Democrat even had his license suspended for 19 months but still drove during that time, receiving a traffic ticket in that period. More than a month ago a warrant was issued for his arrest in Reno because he failed to appear for a traffic court hearing. This week Williams paid $600 to settle the fine, thereby canceling the warrant, but that hasn't ended his troubles. Far from it.

It was disclosed Thursday that Williams owes the city of Las Vegas nearly $2,000 for personal phone calls he made on a city cell phone between June 2002 and August of this year. Williams, who makes $85,981 a year as an administrative officer in the city's Neighborhood Services Department, will have $70 deducted from each paycheck until the full amount is repaid. That was a smart move by the city to take the money directly out of his salary. After all, he has a habit of not taking care of his fines, traffic or otherwise. Williams was fined $15,000 for failing to file his campaign finance reports on time to the secretary of state's office during the 2000 campaign, but the Sun reported this week that he missed a $100 payment, which was due Sept. 1, to help settle that debt.

On Wednesday it was encouraging that Assembly Speaker Richard Perkins, a Henderson Democrat, passed over Williams, the longtime chairman of the Assembly's Education Committee, for the chairmanship of an interim legislative committee on education. If Williams decides to run again and manages to win re-election in 2004, the Assembly Democrats should strip him of all leadership positions, including chairmanship of any committee. Williams' arrogance, his flouting of Nevada law and a demonstration that he lacks responsibility, make it clear that such conduct shouldn't be rewarded -- let alone condoned.