Will Ross learn from ethics commission experience?

I don’t think much of ethics commissions. Never have.

It’s not the folks who serve on the commissions. They seem bright and well-meaning enough – even ethical.

It’s the fact that so few ethics hearings ever result in anything but a finger wag of condemnation that makes me think they’re essentially worse than a waste of time. They’re also a way some slippery elected officials get around potential criminal corruption charges.

On Friday, the Nevada Ethics Commission ruled in a 4-1 vote that Las Vegas City Councilman and organized labor pitchman Steve Ross had a conflict of interest when it came to negotiations to build a new City Hall. The Review-Journal’s Alan Choate captured the issues in his story.

My favorite quotes came from Tyson Wrensch, one of three Ward 6 residents who filed the complaint against Ross: "It's clear that Councilman Ross did violate ethics. It gives citizens like me hope that we can make a difference."

Wrensch supported Ross’ opponent in the last election, but the fact politics played a role in the complaint is just another realistic flaw in the process. Maybe Wrensch will decide to run against Ross one day.

Flawed messenger though he may be, when he said, "The best thing for him to do is to pick a job," I think he was onto something.

Ross entered office on the political wings of his labor brothers. No sin in that. But he has to grow up and at least make the pretense of being more than a one-note player.

He’s not alone in this regard in local politics, for one of the biggest rarely told stories in Southern Nevada is the dramatic increase in the influence of unions in local politics. For organized labor, it’s a great success story. For Steve Ross, it’s a challenge.

When success lapses into sloppy politics or outright arrogance, you may expect criminal investigations to follow.

And, as the former roster of the Clark County Commission knows well, that won’t end in a good scolding or gentle wrist slap.