Thursday, Sept. 2, 2004 | 8:34 a.m.
Policy approved for elected officials
After a discussion going back to 2003, the City Council approved a policy Wednesday outlining restrictions on employees who are candidates for elected office or already are lawmakers.
The policy states that employees not subject to the Hatch Act -- which forbids some public workers from engaging in partisan political activities -- can file for partisan political office. It also allows employees to file for non-partisan political office.
Those who file for political office must be placed on unpaid leave. If they win office, and the city manager judges their position incompatible with their city duties, they must leave their job with the city. Employees in the state Legislature must take unpaid leave while in session, but can maintain their health insurance if they pay the premiums.
The issue came up after city officials determined that former city employee Wendell Williams, a member of the Assembly, received thousands of dollars in city pay while he was serving in the 2003 Legislature. Williams consistently has denied any wrongdoing and said he performed the work for which he billed the city.
Liquor sales OK'd on Fremont Street
The City Council decided more alcohol couldn't hurt the Fremont Street Experience, and Wednesday voted to allow ABC stores to sell hard liquor despite the opposition of the Fremont Street Experience representatives.
The store was seeking permission to add to its beer and wine license, which it has held since January 2003. That license was granted over the objections of the Fremont Street Experience and city staff, who wrote in a memo to the City Council that "package liquor sales in a high-traffic pedestrian area contribute to loitering, petty crimes and public indecency."
The city staff had similar opposition to the latest license request, as did the Fremont Street Experience representatives.
The City Council's compromise was to allow the sale of hard liquor as long as it was in bottles of 750 milliliters or more. The reasoning was that a person would be less likely to grab a large bottle of liquor and start drinking it in the street than if they had a shot- or flask-sized bottle.
"Seven-hundred and 50 milliliters wouldn't even make a dent in me," joked Mayor Oscar Goodman, who regularly refers to his love of gin.
He questioned whether the Fremont Street Experience opposed the license because it was trying to protect the liquor sales of the casinos.
John Cole, the Fremont Street Experience's chief operating officer, said that casinos account for 60 percent of the packaged liquor sales in the Fremont Street Experience, so that wasn't an issue. He said the issue was that problems in the Fremont Street Experience "become our problem." Cole said he didn't want the license to lead to a proliferation of package liquor sales at the Fremont Street Experience.
Goodman, in reply, said "basically, there's plenty of alcohol available" at the Fremont Street Experience.
He later addressed the proliferation concern by saying that the granting of a license to ABC was not a precedent, and was allowed in this case only because of "the type of operation these folks run."
Decision delayed on land deal
The Las Vegas City Council postponed a decision Wednesday on whether to grant about 3 acres of land to two nonprofit groups, which each would pay $10 for their share of the land.
Councilman Gary Reese asked for more time to review the issue. The council is scheduled to pick it up again at its Sept. 15 meeting.
The land, along Owens next to the infamous Sky-Vue mobile home park just north of downtown, formerly was the site of the MASH Village homeless shelter, which closed in 2002.
The Shade Tree shelter for women and children is requesting space adjacent to its location on the corner of Main Street and Owens Avenue, to increase its parking from 19 spaces to 62 and add a shaded patio, a playground, and storage sheds to receive donations.
The Salvation Army wants space to build a 68-unit apartment complex.
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