Columnist Jeff German: Del Papa loses key law enforcement endorsements

ATTORNEY GENERAL Frankie Sue Del Papa has found herself in a rather unusual predicament.

She's Nevada's top law enforcement officer running for re-election without the endorsement of the state's top law enforcement unions.

Some predict her campaign is doomed. But others aware of her strong campaign skills aren't willing to count her out of the race.

Del Papa still holds a commanding lead in the polls, primarily because her Republican opponent, Scott Scherer, doesn't have as much name identification with the voters this early in the race.

But word that the Las Vegas Police Protective Association has endorsed Scherer over Del Papa has got to be a blow to the Democratic incumbent.

The PPA, which represents about 2,000 police and corrections officers in Las Vegas, is one of the more politically active unions in the state.

It also has endorsed Republican Kenny Guinn for governor, Democrat Rose McKinney-James for lieutenant governor and Jerry Keller for sheriff.

Del Papa, meanwhile, is being upbeat about her failure to win the PPA's backing this time.

"I've enjoyed a good working relationship with Nevada law enforcement over the years and look forward to the same in the future," Del Papa says. "Obviously, the independence this job requires ruffles some feathers."

Maybe too many feathers.

Two other active law enforcement unions -- the Nevada Highway Patrol Association and the State of Nevada Peace Officers Association -- also have endorsed Scherer over Del Papa.

Without the backing of the cops on the street, Del Papa will have a tough time running a law and order campaign in her bid for a third term.

Other traditional sources of political support for Del Papa also have collapsed this year.

Earlier this month, the Nevada AFL-CIO, the state's largest labor organization, announced it was endorsing Scherer.

And Bob Gagnier, executive director of the State of Nevada Employees Union, says his group will back anyone but Del Papa. It has not yet interviewed Scherer.

A series of anti-labor legal opinions, it seems, has left Del Papa in the doghouse with organized labor.

Add an opponent with a heavy campaign war chest who seems to be out-hustling the attorney general, and it doesn't take much to figure out that Del Papa may be in the race of her life.

Las Vegas Mayor Jan Laverty Jones says last weekend's Nevada Ethics Commission ruling likely will cast fallout over City Hall.

The ethics panel found that county commissioners Yvonne Atkinson Gates and Lance Malone broke the law last August when they failed to disclose and then voted on lucrative airport concessions for their friends.

Jones says she expects members of the City Council, including herself, will be more aware of their personal relationships when voting on projects in the future.

"I think every elected official has to understand that they will be held to a higher standard, and that's appropriate," says Jones, a Democratic candidate for governor. "Everybody needs to use their best judgment."

But Jones adds that the Ethics Commission needs to clarify its weekend ruling to explain specifically when elected officials have a conflict.

"I think it needs to be clearer," Jones says. "You don't want to find out in the context of an ethics hearing."

Jones also believes the ethics panel should be careful not to let itself get used.

Jones recently was the subject of an ethics complaint filed by former City Councilman Steve Miller, a political adversary still bitter over his loss to the Jones in the 1991 mayor's race.

Miller is suing Jones for defamation in that race, a charge she has denied.

The Nevada Republican Liberty Caucus, run by Charles Muth, is gearing up to make its political endorsements this week.

Muth, former communications director for the Nevada Republican Party, still is considered one of the party's hired guns. He also has the ear of GOP boss John Mason.

So Muth's endorsements likely will be the subject of much discussion during the Republican primary.

The most controversial recommendation will be in the governor's race.

Muth plans to throw his support to Kenny Guinn over Lt. Gov. Lonnie Hammargren and Hollywood producer Aaron Russo.

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