Overload postpones ethics hearing for recorder Deane

Wednesday, May 26, 2004 | 10:59 a.m.

The Nevada Ethics Commission hearing set for June 9 and 10 for Clark County Recorder Fran Deane has been postponed and no new date has been set, the commission's executive director said Tuesday.

Stacy Jennings said she asked for the hearing on the recorder's ethics woes to be postponed because of a heavy caseload, including this month's three-day hearing on ethics issues affecting Las Vegas Mayor Oscar Goodman. She said the caseload on the commission's three-person staff is up 60 percent this year.

"I'm not able to prepare the case for June 9 or 10," Jennings said. "The reason the hearing is being continued is because I am asking for it."

Jennings said she is trying to work with Clark County's managers and the attorney for Deane to reschedule the hearing. Clark County is involved because some of those scheduled to testify need to stay close to their offices at the county government center, and so the hearing was scheduled to go on in the commission chambers at the government center.

Those chambers, however, are often in demand for a variety of different boards and committees.

Deane faces ethics commission complaints that she has given preferential treatment to title companies and explored a business that would have charged for access to her office's documents, a service the county plans to provide for free.

The recorder's office documents critical paperwork, most notably titles of property ownership that are needed for the purchase or sale of real estate.

Deane spent about two hours in a closed-door session with the ethics commission last month, but the recorder and the commission apparently failed to reach a settlement.

The commission was scheduled on its agenda to consider a "proposed stipulation," or a written plea deal, concerning Deane's case.

Erik Pappa, a county spokesman, said he hopes the hearing can be rescheduled soon.

"I think everyone wants to see this resolved as quickly as possible," he said.

Deane said reports that the hearing was delayed because of her health were not accurate. She referred questions about the scheduling to her attorney, Lew Brandon.

"We'd like to get this resolved for Fran's sake," but the original schedule "would never have worked," Brandon said this morning.

The complexity of the issues and the number of potential witnesses could require a hearing over a period of weeks, not days, he said.