Henderson pays $5K for speech from firm that cut ties with city
A well-connected public relations firm that backed out of a Henderson contract in 2016 amid conflict-of-interest questions is performing work for the city again.
Trosper Communications, run by publicist Elizabeth Trosper, received $5,000 from Henderson on Nov. 20, records show. The payment was for speechwriting services, “specifically the 2020 State of the City address,” Henderson spokeswoman Kathleen Richards said.
Trosper has worked on campaigns for Mayor Debra March and each member of the City Council. She has also helped March with communications outside official city business.
She did not respond to repeated requests for comment.
“I don’t think there’s a conflict of interest,” Richards said. “It’s a very small amount.”
Richards said Javier Trujillo, the city’s director of government and public affairs, decided to hire Trosper. She also said outsourcing the speechwriting has been done before, including last year, when the city hired Purdue Marion and Associates.
“It’s really helpful,” she said. “It’s such a high-profile speech.”
The payment to Trosper Communications falls well below the $50,000 threshold that would require City Council approval. Henderson does not currently have any contracts with the company, Richards said.
In March 2016, Trosper received a one-year, $30,000 contract from Henderson to serve as an adviser for public relations, public information, social media and marketing. At the time, she insisted her work with the city was completely separate from her work on campaigns.
“We work very hard to make sure there is no cross-pollination,” she told the Las Vegas Review-Journal in September 2016.
The following November, the Review-Journal, which had written about the contract, sued Henderson for records related to Trosper. The case is in the process of wrapping up in Clark County District Court.
By December 2016, Trosper backed out of the contract, saying it was a distraction to her employees and clients and that she felt her company becoming a news story got in the way of her company’s work.
Contact Blake Apgar at bapgar@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-5298. Follow @blakeapgar on Twitter.
