Legislator no shoo-in for lobbyist job

Longtime state Assemblyman Morse Arberry is finishing a 25-year political career in pursuit of a lobbying job that is uncertain.

Arberry, who resigned Wednesday, seeks a six-figure lobbying contract with the Clark County courts that needs a majority vote from the same county commissioners who have set policies at odds with his prospective client in areas such as salary and staffing.

The proposed contract will be considered by county commissioners on Tuesday.

The 57-year-old's goal might be impeded by thousands of dollars in local property taxes he has yet to pay.

The problem is not a new one for the veteran politician. In 2003 and 2004, Arberry twice came within hours of having his Bonanza Village home sold by the city to cover a delinquent special improvement district assessment. Last-minute payments kept it from going to auction.

Arberry, who was barred from seeking re-election because of term limits, did not return calls seeking comment.

Commissioner Steve Sisolak said Arberry's unpaid debt is one reason not to hire him as a lobbyist.

"He needs to square up with the taxpayers before he applies for the job," Sisolak said Thursday. "I think that's only reasonable."

Sisolak also argued that the county should not have any outside lobbyists, especially ones who work against the public's financial interest.

The county has not contracted with an outside lobbyist since June 2009 and plans to send an in-house lobbying team to the next legislative session. However, University Medical Center, the county hospital, pays R&R Partners, a lobbying firm, $7,500 a month on a contract set to expire Sept. 30.

The county's top judges say hiring a lobbyist with Arberry's qualifications is crucial to looking out for the interests of the courts at the 2011 Legislature.

"This will be the most important legislative session in history considering the budget crisis that we are in," Chief Las Vegas Justice of the Peace Ann Zimmerman said. "We'd be foolish not to hire a lobbyist. We have no idea what's going to happen, and we want to be prepared and informed."

Zimmerman said Arberry is perfect for the job.

"If you're going to hire a lobbyist, what do you want?" she asked. "You want somebody with knowledge, experience and relationships, which makes him a brilliant choice."

Chief District Judge T. Arthur Ritchie Jr. added, "We want to hire him because he's got a great breadth of experience in how the legislative process works. It's a matter of monitoring hundreds of bills that have an impact on the courts and the administration of justice."

Ritchie said concerns were raised in 2008 when the courts hired a lobbyist, but the county approved the funding, anyway. This time, he said, the contract is longer and for less money: $124,000 for two years compared with $150,000 for 15 months.

Some court officials think they need a lobbyist to combat county actions such as phasing out justices' longevity pay, Sisolak said.

Justices also are displeased that the county wants to increase the population threshold for adding a justice of the peace, he said.

A proposed county bill would increase that threshold to one new justice for every 150,000 new residents instead of 100,000.

Court officials say the move could result in a decline in the number of seats on the Justice Court bench. County leaders, however, say that the cap would apply to new justices and that the current ones would be grandfathered in.

Zimmerman said the bill comes at a time when the voters are electing two new justices of the peace in November, based on the current population formula. The new seats will increase the number of judges to 14.

As a lawmaker, Arberry was at times an ally to the courts. While on the Ways and Means Committee, Arberry helped sponsor a bill two years ago that added nine judges to the county's District Court.

Sisolak said the county lacks the money to expand the court system in the current budget crunch.

Sisolak said he also was concerned that Nevada allows an elected leader such as Arberry to jump into lobbying with no cooling-off period, as other states and the federal government require.

Arberry arranged to come before the Clark County Commission with his proposed contract while he was still in office, Sisolak said.

AFL-CIO Secretary-Treasurer Danny Thompson said he did not become a union lobbyist until two years after his long career as a Democrat assemblyman from Henderson.

He does not see a need for a law requiring a cooling-off period for former legislators who want to become lobbyists. Thirteen ex-legislators served as lobbyists during the 2009 session and the special session in February.

"Now we have term limits and legislators will be changed more frequently," he said. "It is not as big of a deal as it used to be."

There is no law preventing other elected officials from being lobbyists. Clark County Commissioner Tom Collins served as a lobbyist for a client involved with the Coyote Springs development in 2009. Collins also is a former legislator.

Carson City Mayor Bob Crowell has been a legislative lobbyist for many years and acted on behalf of more than a dozen clients at the 2009 session.

Review-Journal Capital Bureau Chief Ed Vogel contributed to this report. Contact Scott Wyland at swyland@reviewjournal.com or 702-455-4519. Contact Jeff German at jgerman@reviewjournal.com or 702-380-8135 or read more courts coverage at lvlegalnews.com.