Group embarks on new attempt to recall Gates

Findings revealed during recent Nevada Commission on Ethics hearings provided a citizens group with enough confidence to file a second intent to recall Clark County Commission Chairwoman Yvonne Atkinson Gates.

The recall petition was submitted to the Clark County elections office Monday.

"I can't believe we put up with people who are out to get themselves promoted and not to do their job," said Delores Bennion, who is a member of Citizens for Honest and Responsible Government.

"I requested a list of things she was called on the carpet for during the ethics hearings. The situation is bad enough, we don't even have to go into the archives."

A peek into the archives would show Gates first became the target of a recall effort early this year after the Ethics Commission ruled Gates improperly tried to use her position to lease space at a hotel-casino for a frozen daiquiri shop.

Last month, the Ethics Commission concluded Gates violated state ethics laws by failing to disclose friendships and family relationships before voting to award concessions contracts at the airport.

Gates said Monday afternoon she has held public office for 14 years and some people prefer to remember one wrongdoing rather than her positive accomplishments. She and her attorney, Aviva Gordon, said it came as no shock the citizens group launched a second effort.

"I wasn't surprised at all; I expected it," Gates said.

Gordon said she is confident Gates will prevail again, adding the recall petition is a waste of Clark County taxpayers' money.

If the group collects the required 4,380 valid signatures, forcing a recall election, the county elections office estimates the total cost of the effort to reach $146,332.

"It's disconcerting and troubling that more tax dollars are going to be used for an effort that obviously doesn't have the support within her district," Gordon said Monday. "I expect they will have the same sort of response they had last time."

The citizens trying to recall Gates said they know why their effort failed last time around -- people circulating the petition weren't careful about making sure signatures were legible or confirming that residents were registered voters.

Group members, who said they have 3,500 registered voters who have agreed to sign a second petition, are tired of Gates supporters accusing them of wasting taxpayers' money.

Janet Broderick, co-chair of the citizens group, said circulating petitions doesn't impact residents' wallets. And, she said, the $30,000 spent on appealing the secretary of state's recent ruling proved the government's formula to determine the percentage of valid signatures worked.

Broderick claimed Gates has wasted more taxpayers' money than the group, which is why it doesn't want to allow her to complete her term, which expires in two years.

"Every time we have to convene an ethics committee, it costs taxpayers hundreds of thousands of dollars," Broderick said. "And she is found guilty every single time."

County Registrar Kathryn Ferguson said there is no limit to the number of times the citizens group can petition for a recall unless a special election is held.

The group has 60 days to collect the signatures from registered voters in Gates' District D, which means they must be submitted by Sept. 4. The elections office has nine days to do the random verification of 500 signatures.

If an election is required, the office has 20 days to set registration deadlines, print and mail ballots, reserve polling areas and hire personnel to supervise. It has an additional 30 days to set an election date.

Ferguson suspects the special election will have to be held between the state primaries and the general election, which she said will force county employees to work overtime.

"It's awful, absolutely terrible," Ferguson said, referring to the workload she anticipates will be placed on employees. "It means as soon as they submit their petitions, it's taking my people away from their election-related jobs."

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