Ethics Commission to investigate cell phone use

The complaint against Breslow, prompted by community activist David Farside, charges that he violated city and state statutes through the personal use of his city-provided cellular telephone.

Farside presented phone records that showed the mayor ran up more than $2,600 in charges between July 1997 and April 1998, including 194 calls home and 91 calls to offices and clients over the five-month period.

Breslow said he tries to return official calls in a timely manner and that he often checked in with his home answering machine to retrieve messages.

The commission also said at the conclusion of Thursday's closed meeting that it will also subpoena Breslow, City Manager Terry Reynolds and Finance Director Terri Thomas as necessary, the Daily Sparks Tribune reported.

The commission found it has jurisdiction in the matter under a section of state law which holds that a public officer other than a member of the Legislature is prohibited from using government equipment to benefit his personal or financial interest.

Breslow admitted using his phone for personal long-distance calls when he reimbursed the city $257.22 on June 1. He also turned in his cellular telephone at that time. But at a June 8 meeting, the Sparks City Council decided not to conduct an audit of the mayor's phone use in light of his actions.

Farside praised the commission decision.

"I found the commission to be very receptive," he said. "They understood the issues."

Breslow has, in the past, declined to comment on the hearing saying only that he will be happy to comply with the ethics commission.

The ethics commission will hold its hearing into the charges against Breslow on September 16.

On another Farside complaint, the commission decided on Thursday not to pursue charges that non-elected board members of the Reno-Sparks Convention and Visitors Authority violate ethical standards when they vote to use taxpayer money to benefit their own business interests.

The commission said there was no proof of personal gain by board members and suggested the matter should be considered by the Legislature.

Farside said he intends to ask Assemblywoman Vivian Freeman to initiate a bill at the next session to reduce the influence of non-elected members of the RSCVA board.

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