Ethics complaint against Garcia rejected

Thursday, Dec. 9, 2004 | 11:14 a.m.

A two-person board of the Nevada Ethics Commission has rejected a complaint filed against Clark County School District Superintendent Carlos Garcia related to the purchase of a new sport utility vehicle for the top man in the district.

Ryan Devins, a mortgage broker who unsuccessfully sought a seat on the Clark County School Board, filed the complaint arguing that $7,300 in "extras" for Garcia's $29,888 Ford Explorer XLT were unnecessary. The added items included a six-CD sound system, four-wheel drive and third-row seating among the additional items.

School board members called the district purchase an appropriate and reasonable expense. Under the terms of Garcia's contract, the district is to provide Garcia with a vehicle for both personal and professional use, a point noted by ethics commission executive director Stacy Jennings in her report.

Jennings report also said that Garcia did not request a new vehicle, but was instead offered one by Walt Rulffes, deputy superintendent of operations for the district.

In June, when Devins filed the complaint and took his objections to the purchase to the regular school board meeting, Rulffes said said the SUV was purchased as part of a bulk order of $20 million in new vehicles, including $17.5 million for school buses and $2.5 million for other vehicles, including facilities trucks and police cars.

The district was able to get a deal on the SUV by using a bid negotiated by state officials and the purchase was handled by the business office, not the superintendent, Rulffes said.

Rulffes said Garcia had asked for the third seat to accommodate passengers the superintendent might have for school business.

Jennings, in her report, said that Garcia neither solicited the vehicle purchase or the upgrades, with the exception of the third seat, which could be justified because of the superintendent's on-site visits to schools in the district.

Devins lost to incumbent school board member Denise Brodsky by nearly a 3-to-1 margin in the November general election.