Editorial: Cooling-off period for county officials

One of the proposals the Clark County Ethics Task Force is considering includes a one-year cooling-off period before an elected official or top-level appointee can take a job with a company doing business with the county. Larry Spitler, a former state assemblyman who is chairing the county's ethics task force, borrowed the language from a Nevada law that covers high-ranking state government employees. "We think one of the problems with ethics is that there isn't consistency," Spitler said.

Spitler is absolutely correct. Whether they are local or state officials, it's important to have a cooling-off period so high-ranking employees can't profit from their status as a public official. Government employees are often privy to what essentially can be insider information on various companies; it's flat-out wrong for them to use this knowledge against the competitors of a firm they are joining.

One of the critical issues facing government at every level is the cynicism that has enveloped the public's attitude about government. No amount of ethics laws can change everyone's opinion, but it's good to see Clark County is moving forward to implement long overdue ethics guidelines.

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