In Henderson, the ones with badges are lobbyists

By Mike Trask (contact)

Wednesday, Oct. 4, 2006 | 7:47 a.m.

In Henderson it's easy to pick out the lobbyists working the room following a City Council meeting.

They'll be the people wearing green plastic name tags.

The city - hewing to a stricter standard than even the federal government - requires all lobbyists to wear identification badges while striking up conversations with the mayor, council and the city planning commission.

The badges - free and renewable annually - are issued after lobbyists register with the city or whenever somebody representing a business feels the need to talk to one of the city's leaders.

Henderson isn't necessarily trying to prevent a mini-Jack Abramoff scandal from rocking the growing city of nearly 250,000. Instead, it's just trying to keep everybody honest, said City Clerk Monica Simmons, the person responsible for issuing badges to lobbyists.

Council members admit they aren't very strict with the rules. Last week, for example, Councilman Andy Hafen met with a neighborhood group, even though the group's members were not wearing the appropriate identification cards.

"The reason it was adopted is all about openness in government," he said. "But I mean, how much more open can you get than a neighborhood group?"

This year 21 people have been issued permanent badges in Henderson. Another 20 or so have been granted temporary city badges, good for only one day.

"I think there's merit for that," Lee Bernick, chairman of UNLV's public administration department, said about the city registrations. "It formalizes the relationship and lets everybody know who people are if they want to influence the process."

The local lobbyists include Levi Strauss representatives discussing property around the Henderson Executive Airport and lawyers representing residents with utility concerns. Those working on behalf of developers also are among the registered lobbyists.

Although relatively few municipalities nationwide register lobbyists - Las Vegas does - Paul Miller, president of the Virginia-based American League of Lobbyists, likes the idea.

"I hope lobbyists embrace it," Miller said about the badges, a concept his group has been pressing on the federal level for several years. "I don't see any problem with it."

Neither do lobbyists in Henderson.

"It's just another thing we have to take care of to do our job," said Thomas Amick, a Las Vegas lawyer and registered Henderson lobbyist.

Failure to register can result in a misdemeanor charge. That has never happened. And Simmons said she doubts anyone not wearing a badge would ever be charged with a crime.

"It's all on the honor system," she said. "We just want everyone to be honest."

The rules do not apply to people formally appearing before the council or the planning commission at a public meeting. Nor does it apply to other public officials or the media.