Miller says Adelson's attack ads undermine campaign process

A multi-million dollar campaign attacking Democratic County Commission candidates not only caught the attention of Gov. Bob Miller but has caused concern for members of both parties.

In a press conference Thursday, Miller blasted the Committee for Fairness -- a nonprofit corporation backed by Las Vegas Sands Chairman Sheldon Adelson -- for damaging the political process in Nevada and trying to buy commission seats.

The group has spent about $2 million on radio spots and television commercials accusing incumbent commissioners Erin Kenny and Myrna Williams of overspending and engaging in back-room deals. A third commercial portrays 25-year-old Democratic candidate Dario Herrera as a hobnobbing child.

Never before has anybody, particularly a group not directly involved in the election, spent that amount of money on a campaign. Miller emphasized both parties are angry about the ads.

"Republican Clark County Sheriff Jerry Keller has issued statements about the incorrectness of the ads and Democratic District Attorney Stewart Bell has questioned the content of the ads," Miller said.

"I know from conversations with Democratic Attorney General Frankie Sue Del Papa that she too has expressed concerns."

Although they were not invited to the press conference, Committee for Fairness representatives attended and videotaped Miller.

Miller said that by spending more than $1 million on the "secretive" commercials, Adelson's group has countered Miller's longtime efforts to open the political process so voters know who is financing campaigns.

Adelson's group says the commercials are "issue advocacy" spots. Issue advocacy allows special-interest groups to spend unlimited amounts of money without having to comply with disclosure laws.

"It flies in the face of all the efforts we've made to open up the political process and let everybody participate and let everyone know who in fact is expending funds," Miller said.

"The campaign restrictions put limits on how much money can be expended, limits that have been clearly exceeded by this committee, which apparently on the surface has no other purpose than to run ads attacking the candidates."

Miller admitted he does not know whether or not the commercials are lawful, but said they certainly are not consistent with the state's intent to open the political process.

Adelson created the Committee for Fairness on Oct. 8, less than a month before Election Day, according to the Nevada secretary of state's office. The incorporated business lists no employees or officers.

While Miller questioned the timing of the new organization, a statement issued by the committee late Thursday insists the group is here to stay.

"The Committee for Fairness is an ongoing issue awareness organization with the long-term goal of bringing fairness and ethical standards back to Clark County government, while making it more responsive to the needs of its constituents."

The committee said Miller's speech was simply to support his fellow Democrats and launch an attack against Adelson on behalf of union special-interest groups.

"The union special interests in Nevada have bullied both candidates and elected officials in support of their own hand-picked liberal, ethically bankrupt, tax-and-spend candidates," the committee's statement says.

"Sheldon Adelson is simply standing up for people that don't adhere to the left-wing policies of the union special interests."

Adelson has claimed he was treated unfairly by the County Commission during the permitting process for his $1.8 billion megaresort, the Venetian, which is scheduled to open in April 1999.

He also feels the three candidates have been supportive of the culinary union, which has staged protests near the Venetian property. Adelson has yet to say whether his new hotel-casino will be union.

The Fairness committee questions why Miller is taking after "one of the state's largest employers who has and will continue to bring millions of tax dollars and thousands of jobs to the economy."

Miller said Adelson's innovative campaigning is new to state officials, but he intends to work with legislators to close the loophole that allowed the casino executive to expend millions of dollars to derail the candidates.

"I have over 25 years in public office and I have never seen a more egregious campaign tactic than I've seen most recently by the so-called Committee for Fairness, a Nevada corporation that apparently has no employees, no officers and no business other than to run ads attacking certain candidates for political office," Miller said.

Miller said none of the candidates targeted in the black-and-white commercials encouraged him to speak out against Adelson. He said he had watched the committee's ads for a week and finally decided it was his duty to make the public aware of who was behind them.

Until late this week, the targeted commissioners have continued campaigning and discussing their platform with constituents without much mention of Adelson. Kenny finally struck back with a flier sent to voters in her district.

"Steve Harney (Kenny's Republican opponent) is Adelson's chosen puppet to take out Erin Kenny -- no matter how many lies they have to tell or what the cost," the flier says.

A new series of commercials are expected to air today. The Committee for Common Decency, which is supported by the union, filmed commercials slamming Adelson for trying to buy the County Commission.

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