Sunday, March 16, 1997 | 11:59 a.m.
Both the closed nature of the recent talks and the casino company's participation are raising questions.
"Why can't they accomplish this without a gaming company at the table?" said a nongaming lobbyist who requested anonymity. "It gives the appearance of someone doing something behind closed doors. If you're going to build trust in government, you have to do it in the open."
UNLV ethicist Craig Walton said it's a legitimate ethical question to ask what voice Mirage represents in these meetings where Golden Nugget President Barry Shier and Mirage executive Punam Mathur represent the only gaming business present.
"If their presence is part of a mix, you'd be surprised if they're left out, but if their presence is because they're the power behind the throne, that's a real question," Walton said.
Shier was involved in three closed-door winter meetings at his hotel with the city of Las Vegas and Clark County officials. The meetings preceded an announcement in January that the two sides had agreed to seek a consensus on property tax equity for city and county residents.
Last week, Mathur, director of government affairs and community relations for the Mirage gaming company, was involved in a series of closed-door briefings of other commissioners and city officials about financing the county's infrastructure proposals.
Mathur referred all questions to Mirage spokesman Alan Feldman, who said the Mirage executives were present "because we were invited."
"In both cases, we have interests on both sides. We're not arriving at the table with a political agenda," he said. And it wasn't the Mirage's decision that only its employees were invited, he said.
Feldman said he found it interesting that no one asks questions about the Mirage's perceived power when the company is in the position as the largest donor to the United Way or when it provides the largest volunteer operation in the city. But as one of the largest investors and largest employers in Clark County, "if asked to participate, we have a clear responsibility to do so," he said.
Commission Chairwoman Yvonne Atkinson Gates downplayed the roles of Mathur and Shier, saying at one point their roles "haven't been significant at all," yet later saying Shier "added a lot of value to discussions going on."
The chairwoman said it's a misconception that Mirage's role has been stronger than it really has. She said she's talked with other hotel executives, including J. Terrance Lanni of MGM Grand Inc. and Mike Sloan of Circus Circus Enterprises Inc.
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