Last year, Clark County commissioners did without the free tickets to Formula One racing, Las Vegas Raiders games and National Finals Rodeo that they’d accepted in previous years, according to their annual financial disclosure statements filed in January.
The commission’s seven members reported a total of just one trip and one gift for the year — and no tickets.
A lot can happen in a year, ethics-wise.
In June, the Nevada Commission on Ethics notified county commissioners they were under investigation for accepting tickets to the inaugural Formula One Las Vegas Grand Prix. Five commissioners each accepted a $10,900 ticket, with some incorrectly disclosing the ticket and one failing to disclose all together until the Review-Journal reported on the matter.
State law requires elected officials to file annual disclosure forms reporting gifts “in excess of an aggregate value of $200 for a donor” as well as meetings, trips or events sponsored by third parties.
In October, the ethics commission required ethics training for the executive director and staff of the Las Vegas-Clark County Library District in connection with accepting free Super Bowl tickets. One ethics commissioner urged government officials not to accept tickets to the many sporting events in Las Vegas.
County commissioners appear to have listened.
Commissioner William McCurdy disclosed $2,850 in costs for a trip to Germany, sponsored by the American Council on Germany, to attend the American-German Young Leaders Conference. The council – a nonpartisan nonprofit – was founded in 1952 “to strengthen German-American relations.”
Commissioner Jim Gibson disclosed a gift of a $300 guitar from Ryman Hospitality, a lodging and hospitality real estate investment trust.
Contact Mary Hynes at mhynes@reviewjournal.com or at 702-383-0336. Follow @MaryHynes1 on X.