Raise OK'd for head of LVCVA

One of the state's highest-paid government administrators is getting a raise.

Manny Cortez, president of the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority, will see his annual salary increased from $182,520 to $187,995. Cortez also is eligible for a one-time 4 percent productivity bonus, which totals about $7,300.

Compensation packages for Cortez and LVCVA employees were unanimously approved by the agency's board of directors on Tuesday.

In a bid to deflect criticism, LVCVA officials were quick to point out that Cortez's 3 percent salary increase was less than the 3.5 percent hikes being offered to agency employees this year. In addition, Cortez, who heads the nation's largest convention and visitors authority, isn't among the top 25 highest paid convention authority executives in the nation according to a salary survey conducted for the agency.

Board member Don Givens, who chaired the compensation committee that evaluated Cortez's performance, said the agency's top executive needs to step up his communication with employees, the resort industry and with Wall Street.

Specifically, he said Cortez must improve relations between agency administrators and employees, alert the resort community faster when statistics forecast lower visitor counts and cultivate relationships with analysts in New York "to tell Las Vegas' side of the story" when they downgrade casino stocks.

Noting that 1998 "was not a great year" for the city, Givens said in addition to building relationships and communication, Cortez must develop a strategy to finance special events since the agency is on the verge of losing $12 million in state funds.

A law that used to allocate the county's 8 percent room tax directed that five-eighths of 1 percent go specifically to marketing special events. That amounted to about $12 million -- roughly 10 percent of the LVCVA's annual budget.

In the 1997 legislative session, the room tax was raised to 9 percent and the percentage for special events marketing was shifted to school construction. The first budget the LVCVA would be faced with a smaller appropriation would be the 1999-2000 fiscal year beginning July 1.

The LVCVA will lobby the Legislature to redirect the appropriation to tourism promotion since the financial crunch may have eased in the Clark County School District with the passage of a bond issue that will generate funds for schools.

Meanwhile, Proposition 5 was approved in California, potentially opening the door for more casinos on the state's Indian reservations. Although Proposition 5 is in litigation, LVCVA board members believe it could present a serious threat to Nevada's economy as more Californians stay home to play in local casinos.

Cortez also was directed to implement strategies identified in the agency's marketing plan to boost visitor trends, which were flat in 1998.

Givens, general manager of the Excalibur hotel-casino, praised Cortez for his professionalism and business etiquette and noted that the agency has been the recipient of several awards for advertising, marketing and facility management under his direction.

Board members Jan Laverty Jones, Don Snyder and Michael McDonald also complimented Cortez for his efforts before the vote approving the compensation package.

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