Friday, October 25, 2002
Copyright © Las Vegas Review-Journal

Former school union chief faces suspension over arrest

The former president of the Clark County School District's beleaguered support workers' union faces suspension from his job as a bus driver for failing to disclose his arrest on suspicion of soliciting prostitution.

Robert Mancuso, who was the elected chief of the Education Support Employees Association from 2000 to 2002, was cited March 20 by police, who said he offered $20 for oral sex. Police said the incident occurred at the Black Jack Motel, 2909 Fremont St., between Charleston Boulevard and St. Louis Ave., while Mancuso still held office.

Mancuso, who could not be reached for comment, will appear Nov. 1 in Justice Court to face a misdemeanor charge of soliciting prostitution.

The union is affiliated with the National Education Association and is its largest chapter of nonlicensed education workers. Mancuso was at the union helm when the support worker health trust failed and left members facing millions of dollars in medical bills. An outside union, Teamsters Local 14, started an organizing campaign to usurp the association, a legal battle that remains unresolved.

Joe Furtado, executive director of the support association, declined to comment on Mancuso's case. He said the association has made progress in resolving medical claims and has kept a majority representation of district workers despite the Teamster campaign.

"The personal shortcomings of an individual aren't a concern of mine," Furtado said. "I'm not going to judge Bobby Mancuso. It's not my place to do that. He fulfilled his duties as president of the association."

According to court records, Mancuso made his first court appearance May 1, when he waived the reading of the complaint. The court ordered him to post a $110 cash bail, attend legal rehabilitation services and stay out of trouble for six months.

Documents obtained by the Review-Journal showed Mancuso is facing a 10-day suspension for falsifying the job application he had to fill out before returning to his position as bus driver in August.

Workers who become union presidents take a leave of absence from the district, but upon return, must complete an application and give a new set of fingerprints, which are run against local and national crime databases.

The application asks: "Have you ever been arrested, charged, or convicted of a sex- or drug-related offense?" It also asks: "Have you ever been convicted (military or civilian) of a crime, pleaded guilty, pleaded no contest, or have a case currently pending in the courts?"

A letter from the district to Mancuso dated Oct. 14 said Mancuso had responded "no" to both of the questions. The recommendation for suspension, signed by Business Manager Richard Ennes, reads:

"I believe your actions as described above constitute grounds for a 10 day suspension under School District Regulation 4343 1, A, Items 2 - Insubordination; 10 - dishonesty; 14 - (pending) Conviction of crime involving moral turpitude or immorality; and 15 - failure to follow the rules and regulations of the district."

Lying on the application, regardless of the offense in question, is grounds for termination, said Assistant Superintendent of Human Resources George Ann Rice. An applicant would be removed from the candidate pool for lying. A new worker would be fired, she said.

Rice declined to speak about the Mancuso case because it is a personnel matter. Under employee contracts, union presidents who serve one term, as Mancuso did, are entitled to return to the jobs they held before being elected to office.

"You have to examine each case individually and respond to it," Rice said. "We take into consideration how long ago the offense was committed and the seriousness of the offense. A 10-day suspension is not atypical."