Thursday, June 19, 2003 | 11:44 a.m.
Former Las Vegas city councilman and longtime political gadfly Steve Miller has filed an affidavit with the secretary of state's office alleging he assisted new Las Vegas Councilwoman Janet Moncrief in questionable campaign practices.
The affidavit was filed Wednesday, the same day one of Moncrief's primary election opponents, Peter "Chris" Christoff, filed similar complaints saying he, too, helped Moncrief with campaign fliers critical of incumbent Michael McDonald, whom Moncrief defeated earlier this month in the general runoff.
Both men had denied during the campaign that they were working for Moncrief. Their revelations come on the heels of Moncrief naming as her two city liaison officers Betty Schulte and Tracey Hurless, two of her campaign workers.
Moncrief denies the allegations of both Miller and Christoff.
"I did the editing and scanned the graphics for Janet Moncrief's anti-union mailer that listed McDonald as the sender -- I did so under protest," Miller said.
"I told Janet it was a horrible and potentially illegal tactic. She discounted my advice and told me no one would know where it came from, that it would be sent first class from California so no one could trace it back to her."
In his affidavit, Miller repeats that allegation and says "I coached Ms. Moncrief for all public appearances and interviews on the Jon Ralston television program. I donated my writing, editing and consulting services free of charge to her campaign but was not listed on her disclosures."
Moncrief, through an aide, said today, "There is nothing to Steve Miller's and Chris Christoff's accusations. I'm not going to dignify them with any additional response."
Miller indicated in his affidavit that he was motivated to file the complaint in part because Moncrief hired longtime public relations executive and political consultant Tom Letizia, who Miller alleges in his complaint advised her "to not have her name publicly associated with mine."
"Moncrief said Letisia (sic) had promised to raise $700,000 or more for her if she agreed to let him do so before the 30-day cut-off time for campaign debt reduction and on condition Steve Miller be dismissed," the affidavit says.
Letizia said today he "certainly would not recommend" Miller for anything.
"I told her (Moncrief) early on that if Steve Miller is involved with this in any way, then I'm out," Letizia said. "She assured me that Steve Miller was not involved during the campaign. She gave me the indication that she never has been involved at any time with him.
"Steve Miller makes things up -- he has a wild imagination."
Letizia said Miller is "making up" the figure of $700,000 and that the fund-raiser he is holding for Moncrief on July 1 at a restaurant, Cili, at the Bali Hai Golf Club is expected to raise about $100,000.
"I don't know the way these guys (Miller and Christoff) think," Letizia said in response to a question about the possible motivation for them filing ethics complaints against Moncrief on the day she was sworn into office.
"Whether they wanted jobs at City Hall, I don't know -- I just don't know their motivation."
Miller alleges in his complaint that Moncrief asked him to edit the anti-union campaign flier that was made to look as if it came from McDonald. He further alleges that on May 30, Moncrief was present at a local print shop assisting volunteers "affix postage stamps to Peter Christoff's final mailer so it could arrive the day before the general election."
This is not the first post-election fight in which Miller has been involved. In 1991, following the then-councilman's defeat in the mayoral race to political newcomer Jan Laverty Jones, Miller embarked on a bitter 10-year legal battle with Jones that went all the way to the Nevada Supreme Court.
Miller, heir to the family who created the world-famous Las Vegas dice clock, filed a lawsuit stemming from a flier that the Jones campaign mailed just days before the election that Miller claimed falsely portrayed him as a drug user. Jones testified at trial that the wording was accidental.
Jurors rejected Miller's libel claim against Jones after a four-week trial in May 2001. District Judge Michael Cherry ordered Miller to pay Jones $21,000 in court costs and $15,000 in attorneys' fees.
In February 2002 the Nevada Supreme Court dismissed appeals over the libel action after the two reached agreement in a settlement conference on the issue of legal fees and expenses. Both sides agreed to absorb their own costs.
Christoff, in his affidavit, alleges that Moncrief fabricated the names of groups supposedly responsible for campaign mailers and that she committed other infractions. He also claims he was involved in the alleged deception.
Moncrief has denied knowing Christoff, saying she had seen him at two events, one a television show where they both were guests.
In Christoff's three-page complaint -- a copy of which also was sent to Attorney General Brian Sandoval -- he said Moncrief did not want to be identified with negative campaigning or offend those she named, so she asked for his help.
Christoff's document was a response to a formal complaint filed April 25 by campaign officials for McDonald. Allegations included opponents in the primary election violated a number of election laws.
Challengers Moncrief and Christoff conspired to beat McDonald by using "illegal mailings, vast underreporting of expenditures and other unlawful acts," according to the original complaint from McDonald's camp.
Moncrief, who beat McDonald 48 percent to 44 percent in the April 8 primary -- a race in which Christoff received only 5 percent of the vote -- has denied that allegation.
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