Sandoval aide headed to PERS as general counsel

CARSON CITY — A member of Gov. Brian Sandoval’s staff is poised to become general counsel for the Nevada Public Employees Retirement System after serving a brief stint as the governor’s deputy chief of staff.

Chris Nielsen, who joined Sandoval’s team in November of 2014 and helped work on the governor’s tax plan, is listed on the PERS July 16 agenda for confirmation for the general counsel position starting Aug. 3. The agency is responsible for managing the pension plan that covers about 100,000 state and local government employees and thousands of retirees. The PERS general counsel position is newly created by the 2015 Legislature.

Sandoval brought Nielsen to his staff from the Department of Taxation, where he served as executive director.

He worked with other members of Sandoval’s team to push a tax package, including a new commerce tax for companies earning $4 million or more in revenue a year, through the Legislature.

Nielsen previously served as general counsel to former Gov. Jim Gibbons, who served one term before Sandoval won the office in 2010. Sandoval was re-elected in 2014.

Contact Sean Whaley at swhaley@reviewjournal.com or 775-687-3900. Find him on Twitter: @seanw801