Las Vegas Sun

March 29, 2024

Columnist Jon Ralston: In Nevada, the issues are always intertwined in some way

Nothing is ever too far removed from something else in Nevada politics, as these interconnected items reveal ...

A marriage of inconvenience: That didn't take long to unravel. Less than two months after former County Commissioner Dario Herrera, under indictment on political corruption charges, dumped his local lawyers for another Las Vegas attorney and a high-powered East Coast team, part of the deal has fallen apart.

Tony Sgro, best known as strip club mogul Rick Rizzolo's mouthpiece, lasted fewer than 60 days as Herrera's local counsel in the case that involves another topless bar kingpin, Mike Galardi.

This week in federal court, Herrera filed to have David Brown, let go just a few weeks ago, replace Sgro as his local counsel. Sgro theoretically had been brought in to work with the New York lawyers as Brown and mayoral son Eric Goodman had outlived their usefulness as Herrera's pre-trial attorneys.

This, sources say, was not an amicable parting. The cover story is that Sgro found a conflict of interest once he started reviewing wiretap transcripts and had some clients who were on them.

That may be true, but the real conflict was between Sgro and the New York attorneys, and guess who prevailed?

All of this comes as Herrera is embarking on a new phase of his defense as the trial potentially looms in less than a year. Jerry Bernstein is said to be preparing a defense that will focus on distancing Herrera as far as he can from already convicted Commissioner Lance Malone, alleging that even if Galardi intended to bribe Herrera the middle man, Malone, pocketed the cash.

Anyone else dying to see this go to trial?

Campaign Tactics

So that's how he got here? Speaking of Herrera, turns out his ex-campaign manager, now an operative for the Democratic Governors Association, helped hook up Henderson Mayor Jim Gibson with his new campaign manager, Jim Cauley.

Achim Bergmann, who ran Herrera's failed congressional campaign, recommended Cauley, who ran Barack Obama's successful campaign for the U.S. Senate. A few weeks ago Bergmann attended a dinner with Gibson and his kitchen Cabinet, including Bill Marion, who used to work for Sen. Harry Reid, and Jay Bingham, a former county commissioner. I told you everything in Nevada politics is connected to everything else.

Now don't go getting the impression that the DGA is taking sides in this race. The group just wants to ensure that all the Democrats have quality operatives. I sure hope Dina Titus sees it that way.

(Note, too, that Reid, whose people also gave some names to Gibson, is neutral in this contest, too. Got that?) And speaking of Titus, she actually considered hiring Cauley when Emily's List recommended him a few months ago. Cauley says they never actually talked after trading phone calls, but Titus said through her campaign manager that they did chat but didn't mesh.

Support for Titus

Associating with the enemy: I talked to a few knowledgeable insiders who attended that gubernatorial forum Wednesday sponsored by the Associated General Contractors and the consensus was that Titus was easily the most impressive.

"A bunch of people commented that if they had to vote now they would vote for her -- shocking in that crowd," one attendee confided. A couple of folks also were shocked that they heard state Sen. Bob Beers -- unintentionally, one believed -- propose a tax increase when he talked about making the gas tax a percentage of the price of gas in order to help close the gap the state highway department claims exists on highway funding. Beers was described by some as seeming almost bored by the discussion and focused mostly on his spending control initiative.

Other Tidbits

* Titus was the only candidate to say water had to come South from the North. The three Republicans said looking to other states was the answer. Of course, it is a combination.

* Frontrunner Jim Gibbons was off by 100 percent on the price of land in the valley, but he was the only contender who offered more than rhetoric on the affordable housing issue by saying that land prices have to be addressed. Can't wait until Gibson gets into the race next week and can be part of these events.

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