Editorial: A built-in conflict of interest

Thursday, April 1, 2004 | 9:29 a.m.

Gov. Kenny Guinn missed an opportunity Wednesday when he appointed Las Vegas Councilwoman Lynette Boggs McDonald to the District F seat on the Clark County Commission. He could have appointed someone who would come to the position free of any conflicts of interest. With Boggs McDonald's appointment, however, voters in District F will be deprived of representation on the issue of neighborhood casinos. This is because last summer she accepted a position as a director on the board of Station Casinos, which specializes in neighborhood casinos.

Even though her appointment to the County Commission led Boggs McDonald to resign from Station's board, she is not free of a conflict. She cannot escape the public perception that she will remain partial to neighborhood casinos. We believe that she must now abstain on all votes and discussion involving Station Casinos, as well as on all votes and discussions about neighborhood casinos in general. This is a serious drawback to serving on the County Commission, as neighborhood casinos are always a lightning rod for residents.

An example is Red Rock Station, a neighborhood casino that Station Casinos last year proposed for District F, at Charleston Boulevard and the Las Vegas Beltway. The proposal engaged outgoing District F Commissioner Mark James and the whole County Commission for months as residents fought for a smaller project that would have less impact on the scenic view of Red Rock Canyon. James was active in negotiating a compromise between Station Casinos and the residents. Boggs McDonald, in contrast, would have had to remain silent. And such issues are far from over. According to Station's annual report published this month, the corporation owns 177 acres of yet-to-be developed land in the Las Vegas Valley, including two parcels in District F in addition to the Red Rock Station site.

We also believe Guinn acted too quickly in appointing Boggs McDonald. Only eight days had passed since James announced his resignation, for personal reasons, on March 23. His resignation isn't effective until Friday, which left Guinn with enough time to interview several candidates and weed out those with ties to special interests. By law, Guinn had to appoint a Republican to replace the Republican James, but he has taken partisanship to an extreme. In a press release issued after his appointment, Guinn sounds like he was thinking more about partisan politics than ethical conflicts. "Lynette gives us the best chance to retain District F as a Republican seat," Guinn said.

Boggs McDonald, a former assistant city manager of Las Vegas and a member of the Las Vegas City Council, has solid credentials. But that will be of little comfort to residents when it comes to proposed neighborhood casinos. They have been deprived of representation on one of the most important issues facing them.