‘Unconscionable’ contract: Ethics commission finds ex-city manager committed nonwillful violation

The Nevada Ethics Commission found Wednesday that former North Las Vegas City Manager Ryann Juden committed a nonwillful violation of state ethics law by negotiating a lucrative consulting contract with the city before he left office.

The approval by the Nevada Commission on Ethics of a stipulated agreement with this finding resolves an ethics complaint filed against Juden for his role in securing a three-year, $630,000 consulting contract before his last day as the city’s top executive in May 2024.

Juden’s contract as city manager permitted him to enter a post-employment contract, but he ought to have waited until he was out of office, according to Ross Armstrong, the commission’s executive director.

The vote to accept the agreement was unanimous by those commissioners participating in the vote, though some expressed reluctance.

“I think the contract is unconscionable,” said Commissioner Terry Reynolds, adding that a contract of a shorter length of time would have been more acceptable. But he and other commissioners said questions about the length and cost of the contract were about governance and beyond the scope of the commission, which their legal counsel confirmed.

Commissioner Teresa Lowry also expressed qualms. “I just want to say that I agree with Commissioner Reynolds, and but for the limitations of the ethics laws, I would not approve this negotiation.”

The commission found that Juden had violated a provision of state ethics law that prohibits a public officer from using his office to seek other employment or contracts for himself or for any person to whom he has a commitment in a private capacity.

It did not find that he had undue influence over subordinates in negotiating the contract with the city attorney’s office, Armstrong said, noting that office is independent and reports not to the city manager but to the City Council.

“It is certainly a nonwillful violation of a very technical aspect of your Ethics Commission statutes,” said Todd Creer, an attorney representing Juden before the commission. “Given his position, he (Juden) has significant knowledge and connections to ongoing projects, and the city of North Las Vegas wanted to ensure that there was a smooth transition to his successor.”

Juden did not respond to a request for comment.

Juden met with the city’s mayor and mayor pro tem in January 2024 to inform them he would be leaving his position, and “they requested that he look into exercising those clauses of his contract that permitted post-employment consultant services,” Armstrong said.

A finding of a violation means that Armstrong will be notifying the city that under the ethics law, it can opt to void the contract. “It’s up to them to determine what they would like to do,” he said.

A city spokesperson and City Council members did not respond Wednesday to requests for comment.

On May 1 of last year, the consulting contract appeared on the City Council’s consent agenda, a batch of ostensibly routine items approved in a single vote without any public discussion. The agenda item does not mention Juden by name, instead listing a company he formed in January 2024, Edge Strategies.

City Councilman Richard Cherchio told the Review-Journal last year that the item ought to have been discussed as part of the council’s business agenda and that he was unaware that Juden was the contract’s recipient until after he had voted. Other elected city officials, who described Juden as a transformational leader and a friend, said as a consultant he would be instrumental in continuing the city’s progress.

The contract is broad in scope without listing deliverables. It states that the consultant will “work with the City Manager, the City’s senior management team, Mayor, and City Council on matters relevant to North Las Vegas.”

Former city employee Pamela Dittmar, an economic development specialist for the city until 2016, filed the ethics complaint. She unsuccessfully sued the city, claiming retaliation.

Asked if the city should void the consulting contract, Dittmar said “100 percent.”

“This situation presents serious concerns about ethical conduct, conflicts of interest, and a lack of accountability within city leadership,” she wrote in a text.

Contact Mary Hynes at mhynes@reviewjournal.com or at 702-383-0336. Follow @MaryHynes1 on X. Hynes is a member of the Review-Journal’s investigative team, focusing on reporting that holds leaders and agencies accountable and exposes wrongdoing.