Sunday, June 20, 2004
Copyright © Las Vegas Review-Journal
Steve Sebelius: Spreading the love
Last week, I told you about a nice remark former Las Vegas City Councilwoman (and now Clark County Commissioner) Lynette Boggs McDonald had made about John Hambrick, one of a dozen candidates vying to fill her vacant seat on the council.
But Hambrick's use of the quote in a news release may have caused some political friction; Boggs McDonald has done her best to stay above the fray in her old ward.
As if to confirm that she's not committed to anybody in the race, Boggs McDonald sent a message with a very flattering quote about city planning director Bob Genzer, which showed up in a news release last week.
"Bob Genzer is the only candidate who has served the residents of Ward 2 for more than 30 years," Boggs McDonald says. "He is well-versed and familiar with the issues impacting the mature areas of the ward, as well as in the master planned communities -- he's seen it all.
"During my tenure as your city councilwoman, Bob worked closely with me, the mayor and the other members of the City Council to ensure Las Vegas maintains its rightful place as one of the best communities to live, work, play and retire in America."
Genzer, like Hambrick, didn't claim he'd received Boggs McDonald's endorsement, only her support. The election happens on Tuesday, so don't forget to vote if you live in the ward.
- To begin with, attorney Mark Fiorentino is not an idiot or a moron. He's actually a rather competent lawyer, and he appears at local government meetings more often than the elected officials he's paid to influence.
The only occasion I've had to question Fiorentino's professional competence, in fact, was back in 2001, when he stood before the City Council, trying to get council members to look past a novella of debauchery that was an investigative report into Ali and Hassan Davari's Texas strip clubs.
The Davari brothers planned to set a higher standard for their Las Vegas club, Treasures, said Fiorentino. And under close questioning from Mayor Oscar Goodman, Fiorentino agreed his clients would surrender their all-important liquor license without a legal fight if a single Treasures dancer was cited for prostitution. (That standard was later changed to say "if a single dancer was convicted on prostitution charges.")
Still, it was a ridiculous standard. Prostitution is the dirty little secret associated with strip clubs, and everybody in the room knew that. But Fiorentino agreed anyway.
Last week, he was sorry he did. "I never should have made a promise our firm cannot live up to," he told the council. "I was an idiot. I had no idea what I was saying." And again: "What a moron I was when I said there would be no convictions. It is absolutely beyond (the owners') control."
But Fiorentino isn't an idiot and he knew exactly what he was saying, both in 2001 -- when he was struggling to get the council to look past alleged wrongdoing in Texas -- and last week, when he was struggling to get the council to look past alleged wrongdoing here.
The Davaris certainly have problems: Their Texas clubs are under investigation for alleged money laundering, and the Las Vegas city attorney's office has received permission to conduct an audit. Prostitution seems to be a problem in their Texas clubs and at Treasures. And the political intrigue that flows from having a city councilman (Michael Mack) on staff and a mayoral son (Ross Goodman) as one of the club's other lawyers can't help but add drama.
But Fiorentino isn't one of the Davaris' problems. In fact, he may be one of the brothers' best assets.
Steve Sebelius is a Review-Journal political columnist. His column runs Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday. Reach him at 383-0283 or by e-mail at ssebelius@reviewjournal.com.
RSS
Twitter
Facebook