Letter: Lack of punishment for Gates, Malone especially troublesome

It seems quite clear to me and, I'm sure, to most rational thinking residents of Clark County, that Commissioners Yvonne Atkinson Gates and Lance Malone have used their position of power and influence unlawfully and unethically. They have insulted the intelligence of Clark County taxpayers.

It has now been proven that Gates was not truthful with the ethics board. She did, contrary to her earlier testimony, approach a hotel owner to request he approve her business in his hotel. She also handed out extremely lucrative airport concessions to her business associates and friends.

Malone, when questioned right after he voted for his family member to receive one of these concessions, responded that he didn't know it was the same "Gay Reber" he knew. Months later, after being questioned by the ethics board, he reported that his first comments were made in jest. He said he was just kidding.

He did, in fact, know who he was voting for, but thought that it was OK. Any 10-year-old could tell you that what Malone did was wrong. In the words of one of the ethics board members, "He's just so endearing." Endearing? Scary is more like it.

The bittersweet result is the ethics board ruled that Gates and Malone have both broken the law. However, they will not be sanctioned. They will not be thrown out of office. They will not be punished. The airport giveaways will not be voided.

Somehow, I think this is the saddest part of the whole sordid tale. People that have years of experience in their field, who have worked and saved to get an opportunity like this, who played by the rules, didn't have a chance.

Instead, friends and family of Malone and Gates, the daughter of the former airport director, Bob Broadbent, and Sig Rogich, a high profile Republican adviser and public-relations man, made out like bandits. That is the only way to describe this injustice.

The process was corrupt and many honest people had their livelihood stolen from them.

A. Maria Brown

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