Las Vegas firefighters: ‘Larry Brown is confused’

By Delen Goldberg

Published Tuesday, March 29, 2011 | 11:59 a.m.

Updated Tuesday, March 29, 2011 | 1:45 p.m.

Las Vegas firefighters are pushing back against Clark County Commissioner Larry Brown, who has become an outspoken critic of firefighter payroll abuses since he began his campaign for Las Vegas mayor.

On a website titled, "Larry Brown is Confused," members of the city firefighters union blast Brown for failing to distinguish between Las Vegas firefighters and Clark County firefighters.

County firefighters have come under attack recently for gaming sick-leave policies to accrue more overtime. City firefighters, on the other hand, have curtailed sick leave by more than 10 percent since 2008.

"In his quest to become Mayor of the City of Las Vegas, Larry Brown is misleading the public by saying that there are sick leave and over time issues with firefighters in general," members of the International Association of Firefighters Local 1285 wrote on their website. "That is simply NOT TRUE."

Brown sent a mailer to city voters earlier this month coming down strong on firefighter sick leave abuses. He did not specify which firefighters he was criticizing.

"I want to make my position clear to the citizens of Las Vegas," Brown wrote. "If it’s one firefighter or one hundred, past or present, those employees that cheat the system should be terminated and prosecuted to the full extent of the law."

Some in the community blame Brown and other county commissioners for failing to identify the sick-leave abuses. Brown is particularly susceptible to criticism because he promotes himself as a "budget hawk," a fact the city firefighters point out.

"Larry Brown has known about the problem for more than a year, and he has not raised a finger to fix the problem," they wrote.

Brown denies that his message was confusing and reiterated his stance.

“There is no confusion," Brown said in a statement. "When the abuses were discovered, a full-blown investigation was launched. I remain committed to termination and prosecution of those public employees that are proven to have abused the system and cheated the taxpayers, regardless of what department they work for.”

Clark County Commissioner Chris Giunchigliani, also a Las Vegas mayoral candidate, was on the commission while county firefighters gamed the system as well, but she is not mentioned.