Editorial: Flip-flop on double-dip

Thursday, March 10, 2005 | 9:22 a.m.

After the double-dipping controversy of 2003 that involved himself and other legislators, Assembly Speaker Richard Perkins repeatedly called for a new state law. It would require public employees serving in the Legislature to take unpaid leaves of absence during legislative sessions. The double-dipping issue exploded after then-Assemblyman Wendell Williams was investigated by the city of Las Vegas, where he worked in the Neighborhood Services Department. Improprieties were found in the time cards he submitted to the city while he was serving in the Legislature and the city subsequently fired him.

The issue became heated and eventually led to this ethical question: During legislative sessions, should all legislators take unpaid leave from any public job they may hold? In late 2003 and during 2004 Perkins emphatically said yes. Perkins, a deputy chief for the Henderson Police Department, now, however, says no. He has confirmed to the Sun that he is once again billing Henderson for vacation days while serving in Carson City.

Using a combination of part-time work and holiday and vacation pay, Perkins received full-time pay from Henderson while also being paid by the state for his legislative duties in 2003. Perkins, a Democrat who is now considering a run for governor, defended his actions but acknowledged the public could perceive them as wrong. He then called for the law on upaid leaves, which the city of Las Vegas adopted as a policy after the Williams matter. "I think the state needs a policy so we have consistency statewide," Perkins told the Sun in October 2003.

It was another possible Democratic candidate for governor, Senate Minority Leader Dina Titus of Las Vegas, however, who submitted a bill to that effect this session. Perkins is no longer supporting it, saying he now believes public employees could not afford to live on state pay alone during legislative sessions. But that's not the issue. Double-dipping does create the perception of wrongdoing, just as Perkins once said, and it can lead to abuse. Perkins should have kept his word.