Monday, December 23, 2002
Copyright © Las Vegas Review-Journal

Making a Name for Herself

Del Papa broke down barriers as secretary of state, attorney general

Stephanie Parker, left, poses with Frankie Sue Del Papa on Dec. 12 in her office in the Sawyer Building at her last staff meeting. Aside from trips to Mexico, Australia and New Zealand, Del Papa says her plans aren't solidified. Photo by JERRY HENKEL / REVIEW-JOURNAL Frankie Sue Del Papa was 30 when she ran for the Board of Regents and 41 when she became the state's top law enforcement officer. In between, she was Nevada's first female secretary of state. REVIEW-JOURNAL FILE PHOTO REVIEW-JOURNAL FILE PHOTO REVIEW-JOURNAL FILE PHOTO Frankie Sue Del Papa, left, wipes away tears as she says goodbye to JoAnn Gibbs and Sara Price at a year-end gathering Dec. 12 in her Sawyer Building office. Photo by JERRY HENKEL / REVIEW-JOURNAL

She holds the best political name in the state. Down to earth, memorable, even if often misspelled. But starting Jan. 6, for the first time in 22 years, there won't be a title in front of it.

It's back to just Frankie Sue Del Papa.

As a Democrat, Del Papa broke the gender barrier and became the first woman elected to two statewide jobs: secretary of state and attorney general. Before that she was Regent Del Papa.

Some Democrats thought she had the potential to go on and become Gov. Del Papa, or Sen. Del Papa, two other Nevada positions to which only men have been elected.

But twice, when faced with large fund-raising disadvantages, she balked.

As a result, political observers from both major parties say she never reached her potential politically.

Del Papa doesn't like the notion. "I think a better question, and a more thoughtful question is, 'Are you done?' And I'm not ever going to be done as long as there's breath left in me."

It seems unlikely that Del Papa will return to politics, but at 53, she isn't saying absolutely no.

"My new motto is: Never say never. What I'm trying to do now is keep every option open. For the first time in a very long time, there's a sense of freedom and exhilaration. Certainly I'm not closing any doors." On Jan. 6 when Republican Brian Sandoval is sworn in as her successor, Del Papa will be in Mexico starting day one of a monthlong Spanish class. After that, she heads to Australia and New Zealand for another month. Beyond that, her plans aren't solidified.

She's not wealthy, so she will need to work. Whatever she does, she says it won't be driven by money.

"I don't think I'll make a lot of money. I think I could. A lot of people are shocked I haven't lined up a big job. But I see this point in my life as halftime. What I'm doing is enjoying the entertainment on the field and reassessing the first half to go out there and play a great second half."

'Steel spine'

Del Papa isn't easy to peg.

Warm, friendly and touchy, she often calls people "Hon." She used her years as attorney general to focus on issues outside the usual law enforcement arena -- teen pregnancy, domestic violence, elder abuse and adult literacy.

"She was people oriented and not a servant of power, and that impressed me in a state with a long heritage of public officials being servants of power," said state Archivist Guy Rocha, a personal friend. "Her focus was women, children and seniors, people who needed a champion, and I saw no one in government at that level do more to champion that segment of society."

But Del Papa's career wasn't all warm and fuzzy. Her fans describe a "steel spine." She took on the Nevada Supreme Court in a high-profile judicial discipline case and relentlessly pursued a prosecution of developer Bill Walters, who became one of her most outspoken critics.

Reviews were mixed for those efforts.

"She went to war with the state Supreme Court on issues she felt she was right on and ultimately she was victorious. That's a strong indication of her character," said former Gov. Bob Miller.

In that case, justices broke into factions over whether the Judicial Discipline Commission should discipline former Washoe District Judge Jerry Carr Whitehead, who ultimately resigned his office rather than face unspecified federal charges.

As attorney general, Del Papa represented the commission in its effort to punish Whitehead. In an energy-draining fight that lasted four years, Del Papa never wavered, said Las Vegas attorney Don Campbell, the commission's special counsel.

"Her battle was more than courageous; it was noble. For her, it was a matter of principle. And all too frequently, with my experience with public officials, principle is the last consideration, not the first," Campbell said.

But critics, including some within her office, saw her as unyielding, temperamental and politically motivated. They pointed to high turnover at the office as proof. And they said she delegated too much authority.

She relied on Deputy Attorney General David Thompson's judgment in two of her most controversial decisions -- the seeking of repeated indictments of Walters, and a 1995 inquiry into an informant's allegations there was corruption among public officials, including Gaming Control Board Chairman Bill Bible.

Walters offers a harsh assessment of Del Papa, saying she should have reined in Thompson.

"That man indicted me three times for the same identical thing, and every time it got thrown out of court. He made a mockery out of the office, and she made a bigger fool of herself for allowing him to do it," Walters said.

Del Papa's take on the Walters' case: Those who are critical are either "misinformed or ignorant. ... We did our job."

Though her predecessor, Brian McKay, had dismissed the allegations concerning Bible as lacking substance, Del Papa went ahead and had one of her investigators compile a report.

That report became public as a result of a civil rights lawsuit filed against her by another former investigator, Mike Anzalone. He contended when he refused to investigate Bible, she forced him to quit. Del Papa said she ousted him because she lost confidence in him. After three years in court, the case was dismissed. "We were vindicated," Del Papa said.

"What I'm criticized for in some cases, I'm being praised for in others. It's the same spine," Del Papa said recently at one of her favorite meeting spots, Starbucks. "I'm tenacious and persistent, not stubborn."

And Del Papa never mended fences with the Culinary Local 226, which turned against her after she ruled against the union in its dispute with the MGM Grand Hotel over the use of sidewalks in front of the resort. Del Papa cites that opinion as evidence her decisions weren't politically motivated.

"I tried to do the right thing, and it cost me," she said, noting the MGM had never supported her, before or after the decision.

Rocha said Del Papa "sets high standards for herself. She's hard working and she expects that of her people. She expects quantity and quality, and she is known to really drive her people. If you're not meeting her expectations, you can suffer her wrath."

Del Papa tells the story about an employee who once told her, "Not everyone likes to work as hard as you do."

Her reply: "I'm not asking you to work as hard as I do."

Del Papa was born in Hawthorne and raised in Tonopah. Her dad was a grocer and her mother a truck driver. It was her father's idea to name her Frankie Sue -- he wanted a boy. They raised her to be frugal.

Now divorced, she lives in a modest home in Reno. She has no debt and drives a 1990 Lexus she bought used for $9,000.

"She's one of the few purists I've ever known," said her former campaign manager, Kent Oram. "She's never cared about money."

When she was 13, the family moved to North Las Vegas. After high school, she moved to Reno to attend college, where her political bent emerged. She ran for student body president and won. She was 30 when she ran for regent, 41 when she became the state's top law enforcement officer.

Consumer protection

Del Papa calls her six years as a regent "my practical Ph.D. program." She said her work there to bring millions from the federal estate tax to Nevada's colleges and universities has had a lasting impact.

She said her four years as secretary of state prepared her for her 12 years as attorney general, giving her the opportunity to interact with business, state government and state budgets. When she walked into the secretary of state's office 16 years ago, the accounting system was on index cards. Her imprint: Motor voter registration and securities fraud investigations.

Her best work as attorney general came in the area of consumer protection, she said. Others agree.

Former U.S. Attorney Kathryn Landreth credited Del Papa for being at the forefront of the battle against unscrupulous telemarketers.

"She identified telemarketing fraud as an illegal problem before any other agency head recognized it, and it was a politically courageous move. Her consumer protection work was outstanding," Landreth said.

Del Papa also launched units to investigate Medicaid, workers compensation and insurance fraud under the Bureau of Consumer Protection.

Some complained about the quality of her staff. A feud between Bible and Del Papa started over his complaints. And Secretary of State Dean Heller challenged the legal advice her office provided, both at the start of his first term and at the end of his second. Between those two disputes, "we had seven good years in there," Heller said.

But District Attorney Stewart Bell said he turned to Del Papa 150 times over the past eight years asking for assistance, and "she has in every single instance that our office requested support, provided that support."

"She had to take that office from in essence a small, almost rural office, to a big time law office and do so while getting the job done and providing quality representation. She did a masterful job of captaining the ship during a time of unprecedented growth."

Though Del Papa is currently out of politics, the question remains whether the decision is permanent.

Former Las Vegas Mayor Jan Jones speculates Del Papa has left political life for good. "I can attest to this, it's difficult, nearly impossible to have a private life, and your job often times gets in the way of relationships."

On Dec. 12, Del Papa held her final staff meeting in her Las Vegas office. After giving out awards to some of the 125 employees present, she had planned a farewell speech. Instead, she teared up, cut her comments short and waved "Happy Trails" to the people who have been like a family.

The next day, she returned and her name was gone from the office door. Sandoval's was in its place.