Former Henderson Police chief could be new city lobbyist

By Jeremy Twitchell

Thursday, Dec. 11, 2008 | 1:05 p.m.

The Henderson City Council is scheduled to vote Tuesday on a two-year lobbying contract with Richard Perkins, the one-time Assembly speaker and former Henderson Police Chief.

The contract would pay Perkins $10,000 a month from January 2009 to December 2010. Though the contract was not subject to a competitive bid, Henderson Intergovernmental Relations Director Terri Barber, who oversees the city's lobbying efforts, said the hats Perkins has worn over the years make him the ideal candidate.

"Richard grew up here," Barber said. "He was an employee here for 25 years, he was our police chief, he lives here and he knows the city well. He seemed like the obvious choice."

Perkins served in the Nevada Assembly from 1992-2006, acting as speaker during the last six years. He joined the Henderson Police department in 1984 and was appointed chief in July 2006. He served in that capacity for a little more than two years, until his retirement in September.

Perkins, who was one of Henderson's in-house lobbyists during the 2007 legislative session, said he began working with city officials on a strategy for the upcoming session while he was still police chief, and the lobbying contract grew out of those efforts.

Henderson elected officials have repeatedly expressed the concern that the state may try to cover its financial shortfall by leaning on the cities.

Perkins said he looks forward to giving Henderson a strong voice in the political and economic challenges that will have to be met in the upcoming session.

"Clearly revenues are in short supply, and the city's revenues are as well," he said. "I think it's important for someone with my credibility to explain that."

Barber said Perkins' salary of $10,000 a month is standard for lobbyists.

And with Perkins' experience working in the local legislature and lobbying at the federal level, which the city also plans to tap, she said he is worth the fee.

"Richard has some experience with (federal lobbying)," Barber said. "As a police chief, he was able to get an equestrian unit, a robot and several other grants, in addition to some dollars for a crime lab. He has some experience at that level and will be able to help us a great deal in that area."

Perkins said he understands that some residents might question his new relationship with the city, but said he intends to prove himself to them.

"Clearly, there are always concerns that citizens have when something like this comes up," he said. "But I think I've shown my value in the legislature in securing millions of dollars for Henderson and beyond that, working at the federal level to secure millions more for the Police Department.

"I plan on living my entire life here. My reputation means a lot to me, as well as my standing in the community, so I will continue to work as hard for Henderson as I ever have."

UNLV political science professor Ted Jelen said hiring Perkins shouldn’t be a cause for concern with residents. “It would seem to be kind of obvious to me, because it’s someone who knows the ropes,” he said. “I don’t see any conflict of interest, especially if it’s a former employee.” Jelen said the $10,000 monthly fee is “not excessive.”

Perkins' $240,000 salary over two years is similar to what the City of Las Vegas pays its outside lobbyists. City spokesman Jace Radke said Las Vegas structures its outside lobbyist contracts differently, but that it works out to $222,000 over a two-year period.

With the hiring of Perkins, Henderson now has six registered lobbyists for the upcoming legislative session, two of them city employees and the other four outside contractors. Las Vegas and North Las Vegas have four registered lobbyists each, while Reno and Sparks have seven and six, respectively.

Jeremy Twitchell can be reached at 990-8928 or [email protected].