Coyote TV - High Desert Advocate

           

A group of West Wendover residents will formally file a complaint with the State Ethics Commission charging that four West Wendover City Councilmen seriously violated the law by not recuzing themselves on the 150 room minimum votes.
    “The disclosure thing they did Tuesday was a joke,” said former City Councilman Mike Gunter. “I think the law is pretty clear that they should have recused themselves.”
    Tuesday reading from prepared speeches four member of the West Wendover City Council johnny Gorum, Emily Carter, Alan Rowley and Roy Briggs declared themselves employees of the Peppermill Corporation but did not believe the position of the company regarding the proposed change to city ordinance had any effect on their vote.
    Following the disclosure the four then voted not to remove or alter the ordinance, the exact same position advocated by the Peppermill.
    It was the second time in as many weeks, the council voted on the issue with the same results.
    The reason for the redo was that preceding the first vote on the issue the four did not declare themselves as employees of the local gaming giant the first time around.
    ‘it was a legal fig leaf,” said former Mayor Walt Sanders. “and I think the Ethics Commission will se it as such. The issue here is not whether the disclosed who they voted for before the vote but whether they should have voted at all or even discussed the proposed change in the ordinance.”
    Nevada ethics regulations are some of the strictest in the country and failing to disclose possible conflicts can be punished with fines and or loss of office by the State Ethics Board with little or no chance to appeal.
    However the four Pepper mill councilmen may have done more than just forgetting to make a technical disclosure.
    According to the Nevada Commission on Ethics, the four councilmen may have violated sections of the code by actually voting and even discussing the item since they may have had a direct interest in its failure.
    The request to rescind the ordinance was vigorously opposed by the Pepper mill, first in a two page letter from Corporation President Bill Pagnetti read out loud during the meeting and by local Pepper mill executives in the audience including Chief of Wendover operations Gary Lewis.
    All testified that rescinding the ordinance would have a direct detrimental economic impact on the corporation.
    According to the pertinent chapter the four councilmen may have violated the provisions by voting on the issue whether or not they declared a possible conflict or not.
    “The law is pretty clear,” Gunter said. “If the president of Smith’s the company I work for personally lobbied the council over an ordinance, I would have to recuse myself. i think its a given.”
    Gunter added that he was preparing his complaint.
    “Its kind of a complicated process,” He explained. “You have to be very specific and cite the Nevada Law you claim was broken and also provide supporting evidence.”
    Gunter said that several residents had already approached him volunteering to sign the complaint or at least prepare it.
    Notably Gunter’s effort is proving popular with many former West Wendover office holders.
    “I would sign it,” said former City Councilman Jimmy Carter. “Not because i think they were wrong on the issue but because they were wrong to make the vote.”
    In addition to Carter and Gunter former Mayor Walt Sanders said he would also add his name to the complaint.
    “There have been several questionable votes in the past,” Sanders said. “But this one is the most blatant violation of the Ethics Law. Those four have to understand that ethics mean more than just declaring before a vote. When the letter was from Pagnetti was read it polluted the vote. Is there anyone who actually believes that the wishes of their corporations president and some of their immediate supervisors did not have an effect on their decision?”
    West Wendover used to make attendance to ethics seminars sponsored by the Nevada League of Cities mandatory for all newly appointed or elected public officials.
    Instituted under Sanders and continued under Reese Melville that practice was discontinued under recently ousted Mayor Joey Thaut several years ago.
    “There is a whole other angle in this that no one has brought up,” Gunter said. “The council has put itself and the city in the position of being sued by a developer.”
    Weinstein when contacted Wednesday said that he had no intention of suing the city.
    “I still have to work with them,” the Park City Developer said. “I haven’t even thought about. I am a builder not looking for a suit.”
    If a complaint is issued and upheld by the ethics board the four Peppermill councilmen could find themselves removed from office.
    Just last year, former Ely Mayor Gearge Chachs found himself stripped of office and fined $500.00 by the Commission.
    The Ethics Commission found that Chachas misused his office as Mayor when he vetoed a motion by the city council to seek outside legal help to pursue a Chachas’ delinquent water bill dating back almost five years.
    Even before the hearing took place, Chachas admitted that he made a mistake in his handling of the action. His primary defense was that he knew his veto would be overridden and therefore no harm no foul.
    In its ruling against Chachas, the commission underlined that the violation of the ex-Ely Mayor was not undoable.
    

    

    On Saturday the Wolverines played Holbrook, AZ in the first game and finished on top 2-1.  Jr. Rodriguez pitched the first three innings giving up 1 hit, 1 unearned run, and recorded 4 strikeouts.  Mario Esparza pitched the final four innings surrendering only two singles to get the win.  The tying and winning runs for the Wolverines came in the sixth inning.  Xavier Lara led off the inning by reaching on an error.  Jr. Rodriguez followed with a game tying triple to the fence in left center and Homero Quinonez followed with a single to drive in Rodriguez for the go ahead run. The final game of the tournament found Coach Rhoades giving the Wolverine JV team some playing time against Monument Valley, AZ.  The Wolverine Junior Varsity was defeated 19-1.
    Coach Rhoades overall was pleased with the performance of the team.  There were some very good pitching performances and clutch hitting throughout the tournament.  The Wolverines have a lot to work on, but Coach Rhoades believes the play of the varsity players was a good indicator of the potential the Wolverines have.