Tuesday, October 22, 2002
Copyright © Las Vegas Review-Journal

Gubernatorial campaigns trade barbs

Campaign chairmen for Gov. Kenny Guinn, the Republican incumbent, and state Sen. Joe Neal, the Democratic gubernatorial candidate, exchanged criticism Monday over improper use of government funds and workers in the campaign.

Pete Ernaut, campaign chairman for Guinn, said it was improper for Neal to obtain legal help from the Legislative Counsel Bureau for a petition Neal used as a political issue.

In the petition, Neal urged the Public Utilities Commission to force the sale of Nevada Power to the Southern Nevada Water Authority. The authority made a $3.2 billion bid for the utility, which the utility's parent company, Sierra Pacific Resources, rejected.

Neal's campaign issued a news release on the regulatory petition after the Review-Journal reported on the petition on Friday.

After hearing criticism of the counsel bureau's involvement, Andrew Barbano, Neal's campaign chairman, said it was a case of "the pot calling the kettle black."

Barbano said it was unethical of Guinn to appear in a $400,000 advertising campaign that was funded by a federal grant. In the television spots, Guinn promoted Nevada JobConnect, a state program that helps workers find jobs.

Television stations were required to carry two free spots for each paid spot, Barbano said. He said a television spot ran as recently as 1:29 a.m. Oct. 12 on KTVN-TV, Channel 2, the Reno CBS affiliate.

"This is definitely an unethical campaign practice," Barbano said. "This was done to promote the governor's election with taxpayer money."

Ernaut ridiculed the complaint. "Andrew Barbano desperately is in need of a CAT scan," Ernaut said.

"When you're governor, you promote programs like that, and they have no relation to the campaign," Ernaut said. "It's just totally ridiculous."

Ernaut, however, said it was improper for Neal to use the counsel bureau's help on the petition that was used in the election campaign.

Ernaut said the counsel bureau is charged with helping legislators and can't be blamed for the political use of its work.

"If he uses it in the campaign, the ethical breach is his, and the responsibility is his," Ernaut said. "He should not put the Legislative Counsel Bureau in the position of being utilitized for a partisan race."

Neal said he consulted with the counsel bureau on the petition that he filed with the Public Utilities Commission last week. He said he presented his ideas to the bureau and the legal staff and "they put it into writing." However, the Democrat denied that he was using the petition to advance his campaign for governor.

"It was not part of my campaign," Neal said.

Neal said his campaign issued a news release only after the Review-Journal carried a story on the petition and identified him as the Democratic nominee for governor.

He said he has been advocating public power utilities for more than 30 years. "It wasn't a matter of running for governor. It was a matter of cheaper electricity," Neal said. "People know I've been on this issue for long ever before I ran for governor."

Brenda Erdoes of the Legislative Counsel Bureau saw nothing improper about helping Neal with a matter for constituents. "We do things like this on a daily basis for legislators," she said. She said the bureau doesn't get involved in campaigns but does draft bills at the requests of lawmakers and help them with constituent problems as mundane as long lines at the Department of Motor Vehicles.