Editorial: Keep digging for truth

Monday, Nov. 13, 2006 | 7:35 a.m.

P olitics in Nevada faces a defining moment following Tuesday's election of Jim Gibbons as governor that will make the state choose between a future of continued backroom politics or open government.

The governor-elect is still dogged by a trio of allegations against him that have yet to be answered in any satisfying way. The classic move of the good-old-boy Nevada political machine would be to simply sweep Gibbons' alleged transgressions under the rug now that he is headed to the Governor's Mansion.

Doing so would be right in line with the Nevada the country has come to know, a perception reinforced in recent years with the topless club political corruption case that netted four former Clark County commissioners and the damning take on the state's judiciary, which the Los Angeles Times found was too cozy with the attorneys who practice before it.

Now the question is what will the establishment do with the man elected to the highest office in the land: Sweep it all under the rug or do what it should be doing - support a fair, independent investigation?

Add to that question the matter of the go-along, get-along kid, Rep. Jon Porter, R-Nev., who is alleged to have violated federal law by making illegal fundraising calls from his office. Will that disappear as well? It shouldn't. The allegations made by a former Porter aide should be fully investigated if anyone cares about integrity or justice.

Gibbons faces serious charges: a Metro Police investigation into his alleged assault of a woman on Oct. 13; questions about his hiring an illegal immigrant as a nanny; and charges that he used his influence to help direct federal contracts to a friend, who directed $100,000 to Gibbons' campaign and paid for a lavish Caribbean cruise for Gibbons, his wife and son worth an estimated $14,000.

The political power brokers tried to brush aside the allegations of Chrissy Mazzeo, who claims that after a night of drinking Gibbons pushed her up against a wall in a parking garage, and have publicly attacked Mazzeo's credibility. The police investigation started feebly. Sheriff Bill Young, who endorsed Gibbons, called the congressman and told him of the charges, tipping him off that he should probably get an attorney. Some 13 hours after the incident, the congressman was questioned in his hotel suite with an aide in the room.

We learned from a story in the Las Vegas Sun on Thursday that Pennie Puhek, who was with Mazzeo that night, was interviewed by police - with her attorney present even though the attorney says she's not a target of the investigation. Mazzeo said Puhek tried to broker a deal, for whom we don't know, to have Mazzeo recant.

We've also heard little to nothing about the other allegations, which are just as serious. Did the congressman who said he was tough on immigration illegally hire a nanny and then lie about it? What about his dealings on behalf of a friend, a heavy campaign contributor, who took him on a ritzy vacation?

Aggressive and complete investigations into the allegations made against Porter and Gibbons are necessary for the public to have trust in the system. And for their part, if they have done nothing wrong, Porter and Gibbons should welcome investigations that would clear their names.

Nevadans don't know what the truth is, but should.