County Commission members were absent from a Nov. 11 dinner gala for Lacy Thomas, ousted last month from his UMC job.

Two months before the ouster of University Medical Center CEO Lacy Thomas, people in high places saw it coming.

Notably absent from a Nov. 11 Second Chance Foundation dinner gala and roast of Lacy at Red Rock Resort was the entire Clark County Commission.

Eyebrows rose when "they called about 10 days in advance of the event and canceled the tables that had been ordered for them," said a spy. Many UMC department heads didn't attend either.

Friends and physicians from across the nation showed up to recognize Thomas' efforts on behalf of organ and tissue donations.

Emceeing the roast was comedian George Wallace, who appeared on the dais with Mayor Oscar Goodman, local activist Dr. Tyree Carr, former County Manager Thom Reilly, former Urban Chamber of Commerce President Hannah Brown, Assistant Clark County Manager Darryl Martin and Alicia Gibbs.

Thomas was removed by County Manager Virginia Valentine last month after auditors revealed the hospital lost $34.3 million in its last fiscal year. That's $15.5 million more than Thomas reported to county leaders in November.

INAUGURAL MISSTEPS

Gov. Jim Gibbons' inaugural ball in Reno had some planning hiccups. Glitches at the Silver Legacy Hotel Casino event were evident early, according to an attendee.

"It was held in a room much too small, and the fire code would not allow all to assemble in the main room. The state officials were held in a holding room for fully 90 minutes before being introduced on stage.

"There was no place to sit and nothing to eat or drink for them. Then, to walk to the room for introductions, they all had to walk through the hotel's kitchen, and the ladies had to hold up their ball gowns for fear of getting them dirty from the food and liquid on the floor."

Little food was left by the time the state officials got through the introductions.

It was the larger of two inaugural balls, with 3,000 attending. About 2,000 turned out for the first ball, at The Venetian on Jan. 26, four days before the Reno gala.

THE SCENE AND HEARD

Get well: The dance community is sending a lot of positive thoughts to local legend Sal Angelica, who often teamed up with legend Juliet Prowse. He's in Desert Springs Hospital Medical Center. And KVBC-TV, Channel 3 evening anchor Jim Snyder is back Monday after tending to some personal matters.

SIGHTINGS

Yankees All-Star Derek Jeter, dining Friday at N9ne Steakhouse (Palms) before hitting the Playboy Club and Tryst (Wynn). ... Roger Clemens, dining Friday at Nove Italiano (Palms). ... NBA analyst Charles Barkley, at rumjungle (Mandalay Bay) on Friday. ... At Pure (Caesars Palace) on Friday: Damon Wayans, UFC welterweight champ Georges St. Pierre and fellow fighter Keith Jardine and Kansas City Chiefs running back Larry Johnson. ... Johnson and teammate Boomer Grigsby, at Scores. ... Foreigner, playing a set at the Rainbow Bar & Grill on Friday. ... Steiner's Pub at Cheyenne and Durango was hopping Friday with Hugh Green's annual poker party. Joining him: Dave Parker, Billy Simms, Greg Pruitt, Tommy Kramer, Napoleon McCallum, Aundre Bruce, David Fulcher, James Brooks and Tony Rice. ... At Tao (Venetian): fashion icon Kenneth Cole, film star Zoe Saldana and her sister and friends. ... At Rao (Caesars) on Friday: former General Electric chairman Jack Welch and Wayans. ... "Fear Factor" host Joe Rogan, in the crowd at Artie Lange's Friday performance at Luxor. ... Bela Tabak's Thunderdome motorcycle daredevils, drawing a big crowd Friday at the Fremont Street Experience. They were longtime staples in "Splash" before it closed last year at the Riviera.

THE PUNCH LINE

"The groundhog has a pretty good gig. It gets fed and housed and all it has to do is, once a year, come out of its hole and look around. It's like the animal version of Kevin Federline." -- Jimmy Kimmel

Norm Clarke can be reached at 383-0244 or norm@reviewjournal.com.