Do hard times excuse blurred lines?

By Joe Schoenmann (contact)

Tuesday, Dec. 2, 2008 | 2 a.m.

In an era when political machines ran city governments in the East and Midwest, party bosses dispensed food, jobs and favors to supporters in exchange for votes.

As growth exploded across the West in the past century, “good government” advocates succeeded in limiting the role of party politics in local elections.

So when Clark County Commissioner Lawrence Weekly used the county’s public relations office last month to promote a turkey giveaway paid for with his campaign money, those old concerns were reprised.

Certainly no one doubts that the need exists in Las Vegas in 2008. Weekly’s event gave free turkeys to hundreds of elderly people and others living in poverty. After the Las Vegas Sun wrote about two giveaways, one by Weekly and another by a leadership organization, several people called the newspaper to see whether another free food event would take place.

Weekly clearly was filling a need.

On the other hand, the practice of giving freebies to would-be voters does raise concerns.

In January, the Sun reported that Las Vegas City Council members spent more than $190,000 on special events over 18 months. Augmented by the work of city employees, money was spent on balloon artists, a Santa Claus, a holiday dinner and a Thanksgiving luncheon.

Council members defended the spending as a way to familiarize constituents with their elected officials.

Others said it was thinly veiled political campaigning.

In Weekly’s case, he used campaign money to pay a portion of the cost of the event, suggesting that it had a campaign purpose.

But he also used the county workforce to promote the giveaway, a step that mingled campaign purposes with official county duties.

The county didn’t provide a lot of work, mind you. Dan Kulin, a former Las Vegas Sun reporter now working as a county public information officer, wrote the news release for Weekly’s event.

As news releases go, this one at 147 words was short and direct. It is posted on the county web site at

www.accessclarkcounty.com/depts/public_communications/news_releases.

And Kulin doesn’t see a conflict.

“He’s a commissioner at a county facility and it’s part of our job to help the media know when our elected officials are available and doing things that are of interest,” he said.

It’s an argument many Nevadans agree with.

Julie Tousa, acting president of the Nevada Center for Public Ethics, said she’d have a problem if Weekly had used public workers to do actual campaign work.

“But for this type of thing, I don’t think I would have an issue with that,” he said. “They’re not getting personal gain, they’re helping people in need. Times are tough and I don’t think getting on anyone for trying to help people is helpful.”

E. Lee Bernick, Greenspun College of Urban Affairs interim dean, and member of the 2003 Clark County Ethics Task Force, said the giveaway fits into a “gray” area.

“Maybe a newspaper would say it doesn’t pass the smell test, but would an auditor say that?” Bernick said. “If the county is promoting an event that is helping the people of Clark County — the county is supposed to be helping people, aren’t they?”

Had the event benefited wealthy donors, it would be more troubling, he said.

“I’m just saying that if it were something promoted and done for a select group, then it would be questionable,” Bernick said. “But the fact that they are helping needy people get food, I’d be unwilling to say we should crucify anyone for that.”

On the other hand, it is reasonable to ask questions — if for no other reason than as a reminder of the line between politicking and governing to which we hope our public officials adhere.