Columnist Jeff German: Looking at a good but incestuous appointment

Friday, Jan. 20, 2006 | 7:27 a.m.

Jeff German's column appears Sunday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday in the Sun. Reach him at german@lasvegassun.com or (702) 259-4067.

In the topsy-turvy world of those who regulate taxicabs, this should come as no surprise.

A bizarre reversal of roles has occurred at the Nevada Taxicab Authority.

Late last year, you may recall, Gov. Kenny Guinn appointed Richard Land, a retired Nevada Test Site executive, as the Taxicab Authority's new administrator.

Before Land could take the reins, however, he had to resign his part-time position as chairman of the five-member board that oversees the Taxicab Authority and its administrator.

Land joined the Taxicab Authority board when ex-FBI supervisor John Plunkett was serving as the agency's administrator. Plunkett's tenure lasted from July 2001 to January 2003.

That's important to remember in this twisting story because Plunkett, it turns out, has come full circle in his service to the state, too.

Guinn recently appointed Plunkett, a full-time supervisor with the Federal Air Marshal Service in Las Vegas, to fill the vacancy on the board left by none other than Land.

Plunkett, who performed well in his role as administrator, is a welcome addition to the much-maligned board.

But his appointment leaves little doubt that the process of finding talent to regulate the taxicab industry has become, well, incestuous.

"I just felt my background would complement the others on the board," says Plunkett, who will be sworn in as one of Land's five bosses at the board's monthly meeting on Tuesday.

Plunkett says state officials and his bosses with the Air Marshal Service have given him clearance to handle both jobs at the same time.

It isn't totally unusual for the governor to appoint a federal employee to a part-time state board. A couple of years ago Guinn named now-retiring Las Vegas FBI chief Ellen Knowlton to the Nevada Homeland Security Commission.

Plunkett, however, must be a glutton for punishment.

The Taxicab Authority board hasn't exactly done a stellar job of keeping watch over the industry in recent years. It basically has allowed itself to be bullied by some of the politically connected cab companies.

The board's biggest failure has been its inability to get a simple regulation in place requiring cameras in cabs to protect the drivers. The regulation was introduced two years ago.

But the good news is that public servant Plunkett should provide insight and direction to the indecisive board.

During his 2 1/2 years as Taxicab Authority administrator, he accomplished the rare feat of earning the respect of both the drivers and the companies.

Even better, as a career law enforcement officer, Plunkett understands the value of cameras in the effort to deter crime within the industry.

And he knows the importance of installing cameras in a way that will minimize any intrusion on the public's right to privacy.

This might not go over well with the companies that are more interested in using cameras to spy on their drivers than protect them.

These companies have voluntarily installed high-tech video cameras with sound instead of the less-intrusive still digital cameras once recommended by the Taxicab Authority.

But maybe with Plunkett on board, the board that oversees the Taxicab Authority will finally get the picture.