Editorial: Recorder’s office needs change

Thursday, March 9, 2006 | 7:20 a.m.

Clark County Recorder Fran Deane made the news again Tuesday when Metro Police appeared at both her apartment and her office with search warrants. The story was broken by KLAS Channel 8, which reported that detectives removed several boxes of documents and Deane's computer from her office and other material from her apartment.

The TV station quoted Deputy Chief Mike McClary as saying the potential charges against Deane involve misappropriation of public property. The station also quoted unidentified sources as saying Deane is suspected of removing documents from her office and selling copies to businesses.

Among the public documents on file at the recorder's office are those involving real property transactions. Knowledge of those transactions in advance of their public filing would give various businesses an advantage over competitors.

As an elected official, Deane is answerable only to voters, but at the request of Clark County Manager Thom Reilly, she agreed to step down from her position during the police investigation.

This is not the first time that Deane, who took office in January 2003, has been investigated. In August 2003 the Las Vegas Sun reported on an attempt by Deane to establish herself as a partner in a private business run out of the recorder's office. Sun stories also reported that she was shunning the public and favoring title companies.

A two-person panel of the Nevada Ethics Commission eventually ruled that six of seven ethics violations lodged against her were valid. The case was settled when she admitted to one willful violation of state ethics laws. She was fined $5,000 but allowed to keep her position.

We called for Deane's resignation and also joined with Reilly in calling for the recorder to be appointed by the County Commission, rather than being elected. The recorder is essentially a chief file clerk, not a policymaker. But the 2003 Legislature failed to act on a bill to this effect requested by the county.

We still believe Deane should resign and that the recorder's office should become a regular county department. Under such an organizational plan, the department would be more closely supervised and the recorder could be easily removed if that supervision revealed ethical or managerial problems.