County commissioner resigns temporary position

Wednesday, May 27, 2009 | 2:03 p.m.

Lawrence Weekly

Clark County Commissioner Lawrence Weekly has resigned his temporary state position coordinating green job training programs in Southern Nevada, after press reports about the $60,000 contract, said Larry Mosley, director of the state Department of Employment, Training and Rehabilitation.

The state had awarded Manpower Inc. the $60,000 contract earlier this month, and at Mosley's recommendation, the company hired Weekly to coordinate the job training.

Mosley said he had given Weekly's name to the employment agency because "he's a trusted face in the community."

"If we're going to knock on doors and let people know what programs are available, the community needs to trust that person," Mosley said. Asked if he was referring to the black community, Mosley said he meant the Southern Nevada community as a whole. He later said, though, that there was a need for outreach in the largely black West Las Vegas community.

Weekly's portion of the contract was for $48,000, with the rest going to Manpower. Weekly was paid once, on May 14, for $1,866.24, Mosley said.

Assemblywoman Debbie Smith, D-Sparks, questioned why the state went through a temporary employment agency, if Mosley knew who he wanted to hire.

"If we're paying a 25 percent head fee, it seems like that money could be better used elsewhere," she said.

Mosley said the contract was originally funded by the federal stimulus, but that was an error. It should have been funded with money from the federal Workforce Investment Act.

He said state department directors have been working on how to coordinate federal money meant to promote "green jobs" including weatherization programs and training for renewable energy programs.

Mosley said Weekly's contract had nothing to do with Senate Bill 152, which is Senate Majority Leader Steven Horsford's bill dealing with green jobs.

That bill, which had been held up in the Assembly, passed out of a committee on Wednesday.

Discussion: 6 comments so far…

By neiman1

5/27/09 at 2:58 p.m.

Suggest removal

They just hand out your money to their buddies and those with the power to pay them back.
By lehmankc

5/27/09 at 3:15 p.m.

Suggest removal

This is crazy. Why not hire somebody that has understanding of green jobs. My wife is unemployed and has degrees in environmental science abd MS in Biology and MBA and is collecting unemployment because of the slow down in green jobs, doesn't it make scent to hire someone like this. Of course leave it to govt officals to get everything. I think the attorney general needs to investigate this for possible ethic violations. Maybe this should hve been a state job, but no the govt takes care of it's buddies and screw the average American.
By lehmankc

5/27/09 at 3:58 p.m.

Suggest removal

How can Manpower Inc., which is supposed to be a staffing agency, putting people to work just hand the job to CC Commissioner Weekly. I'll tell you how, that way they don't have to do any type of work, i.e. advertising for the position, finding qualified people, and interviewing those people. No instead they just hand the job over to a Councilman. There are numerous unemployed people in the state particularly Southern Nevada. Just because Councilman Weekly can talk to a group of people does not make him qualified for the position. There are many people who have experience speaking to citizens in the local communities. Coordinating green job training programs means that you understand green jobs, which he does not. If he did there would already be a lot of green jobs in Nevada. Give this position, which is also a green job, to someone on unemployment who actually understands the green market.
By 2zero

5/27/09 at 4:17 p.m.

Suggest removal

Mosley told Manpower who to hire! Fire Mosley!!!!

Re elect Joe Neil; Weekly & Horsford are water boys!
By rejco100

5/28/09 at 7:24 a.m.

Suggest removal

"Life Skills" nonsense & supervised resume classes ARE NOT JOB TRAINING!
By homer

5/28/09 at 9:40 a.m.

Suggest removal

Weekly has been exposed and he is not the honorable nit wit he is portrayed to be. In time money and power gets them all and Weekly will not be the exception. And to think he was literally handed his Las Vegas City Councilman's job as well as his Clark County Commissioner's job.Both were appointments which were elections he could not have won on his own. Weekly would not have made it past the primaries.Typical behavior of elected officials in Nevada.