Friday, Feb. 6, 2004 | 9:24 a.m.
The state has declined to investigate an alleged ethics violation filed against Las Vegas Mayor Oscar Goodman for hosting a cocktail party meant to promote his son's business during the U.S. Conference of Mayors meeting in Washington several weeks ago.
The state Ethics Commission sent a letter Thursday to Robert Rose, who filed the complaint, explaining that he failed to provide any information other than media reports.
Nevada Administrative Code 281.194, a new rule established in the last legislative session, requires that the complaint involve "credible evidence," and specifically excludes "a newspaper article or other media report if the article or report is offered by itself."
Rose, who has filed multiple ethics complaints against various public officials, including Goodman, was irate Thursday.
"Whoever sponsored that (new rule) should dig a hole and cover himself," Rose said.
The rules changes were introduced by the Government Affairs Committee and passed both chambers of the Legislature unanimously.
Stacy Jennings, executive director of the Ethics Commission, said the rule was passed because "people would just read something in the paper and file a complaint, and it resulted in a lot of frivolous (complaints)."
Rose said he was working on getting a video copy of the press conference last week in which the mayor admitted to passing out invitations to the cocktail party for iPolitix, a company in which his son Ross Goodman and Councilman Michael Mack are partners. The invitations carried the mayor's title.
"I am going to get (the tape), and I'm going to resubmit it, with that tape," said Rose. "And if they don't accept that, it's their problem, and yours and mine."
A second reason given for declining Rose's complaint was that he used the wrong form. Rose used a form from 2001, not the updated forms the commission has available on its website.
Goodman was not immediately available for comment Thursday, but his office released a statement that said, "Mayor Oscar B. Goodman has been advised that the State of Nevada Commission on Ethics has declined to accept jurisdiction over the complaint against him submitted by Robert Rose."
Earlier in the day at his usual Thursday public appearance, he said that he did nothing wrong in helping his son meet people for the venture, which involves a method of tracking political issues through use of an interactive computer disc.
The Nevada Revised statutes, 281.481 (2), state in part that a government official cannot use their position "to secure unwarranted privileges" for themselves or others for whom they have a "commitment in a private capacity."
NRS 281.501 3 (c) defines such people, who include those who are a member of the household or related by "blood, adoption or marriage within the third degree of consanguinity or affinity."
Jennings said that Rose could refile his complaint, using the correct form and including more evidence than media accounts of the alleged violation.
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