Columnist Jeff German: Cabbies take back seat to politics in Romania

Friday, April 9, 2004 | 11:02 a.m.

On Feb. 17 Lia Roberts was supposed to chair the monthly meeting of the state Taxicab Authority Board.

But she was a no-show because she was thousands of miles away in Romania declaring her candidacy for, of all things, president of the former Soviet bloc country.

She also missed the board's March 16 meeting while apparently on the campaign trail in Romania.

Roberts, who holds dual citizenship in the United States and Romania, has since given up her title as chairwoman of the Nevada Republican Party so that she can focus on politics in one country at a time.

But for some reason she hasn't relinquished her duties at the Taxicab Authority Board at a time when many in the industry are clamoring for decisive and sound regulatory action.

It seems obvious that Roberts has been too busy in her native Romania to deal here at home with basic matters that affect the safety of Las Vegas cabbies, the tourism industry's ambassadors at large.

I tried getting her thoughts on that observation, but she didn't call back. Maybe she was working the crowds in Bucharest.

Roberts did manage to break away from her presidential campaign to chair a special Feb. 24 hearing on whether to approve a new regulation ordering digital cameras in cabs to combat a rising crime rate.

Taxicab Authority Administrator Yvette Moore and her investigators spent months holding public workshops before bringing the regulation to the board. The regulation was endorsed by a host of law enforcement officials who investigate crimes against cabbies every day.

But against the weight of the evidence, the board, at the insistence of Roberts, tossed aside the safety concerns of the drivers on Feb. 24 and voted 4-1 to continue studying the camera issue for another year.

Anyone who attended the hearing could see that Roberts favored the cab company owners, who are reluctant to shell out big bucks for the cameras. Drivers were told they could speak for only three minutes apiece, while owners were given up to 20 minutes each to attack the proposed regulation.

Cabbies and their union representatives have since asked Attorney General Brian Sandoval to determine whether Roberts and the five-member board violated the open-meeting law when it failed to give drivers equal time.

Sandoval also has been asked to rule on whether Roberts unlawfully steered the board on a course (the unnecessary study) that wasn't publicly noticed for the hearing.

The attorney general's office, I'm told, has requested copies of the audio tapes and minutes of the hearing and promises an opinion soon.

Drivers are looking for Sandoval to void the Feb. 24 vote and suggest the board revisit the camera issue without kowtowing to the companies.

This is only a guess, but I'm thinking cabbies will get a fairer shake at future hearings if the Taxicab Authority Board is chaired by someone who actually appears interested in their well-being. Maybe someone who isn't preoccupied with running for president of another country.

That's the cue to Gov. Kenny Guinn, who appointed Roberts to the Taxicab Authority Board before she had higher aspirations in Romania.

If Roberts doesn't understand why she needs to resign from the board while she's seeking political fortune thousands of miles away, then the governor ought to explain it to her.

Then he should put someone on that board who can get things done and save a few lives on the streets.