Taking a fresh look

Tuesday, June 23, 2009 | 2:06 a.m.

Shortly after Steve Sisolak joined the Clark County Commission in January he began questioning the roles played by consultants and lobbyists in local government.

As Joe Schoenmann reported Saturday in the Las Vegas Sun, the answers Sisolak received from various agencies were not satisfactory.

He still couldn’t figure out why some consultants and lobbyists were rehired annually without requests for bids.

The commissioner also wasn’t pleased to learn that some individuals with multiple contracts had potential conflicts of interest because of the competing interests of their clients.

Sisolak’s questions are not only legitimate, they warrant answers with more clarity and even changes in policy, if necessary.

All contracts for local government consultants and lobbyists should be put out to bid on a regular basis. Though the same people might be rehired, it never hurts to open the process to competition because someone more qualified may come along.

No-bid contracts can leave the public thinking that only generous campaign contributors can win them, a practice known in Chicago as “pinstripe patronage.”

The contractors should also be required to submit regular reports to the agencies they represent — reports that are available to the public. These reports should not only highlight accomplishments or failures, but also include an itemized accounting of all expenses incurred by the contractors that are paid by taxpayers.

Government agencies also should review on a regular basis whether they even need consultants or lobbyists for certain tasks. In some situations it might be more prudent to use staff than to pay outsiders.

Certainly there are advantages to having contractors who have represented particular government agencies for long periods.

Those contractors gain expertise on particular issues and often make the political contacts necessary to better serve their clients.

But the reverse is also possible. Relationships can grow stale and contractors can lose their effectiveness with the passage of time.

We would encourage other county commissioners to join Sisolak in his quest for answers because the public should get the most for its money.