With less than a week to go before the election White Pine County Commissioner Gary Perea was given a clean bill of health by the Nevada Gaming commission not only to remain on the commission but to seek reelection.
The commission made its ruling after receiving a letter from White Pine District Attorney Kelly Brown that stated that Perea was in no way in violation of any nevada revised statute or had a conflict of interest being a county commissioner and a gaming licensee.
Brown’s letter and the Gaming Commission ruling clears the way for Perea to resume his campaign for reelection and to rescind his letter of resignation.
“We have a lot of ground to make up but I feel pretty good about my chances,” Perea said Tuesday.
Perea was forced to resign three weeks ago following a ruling from the Nevada Gaming Commission that the two term commissioner could not serve as a county commissioner and hold a gaming licensee.
“It took them eight years to notice,” Perea said. “The investigator assigned to my case I had to resign and I have to suspend my campaign. He also said that I could apply for a waiver that would cost $18,000 and that even if I left office immediately I would be liable for a fine. My name will still be one the ballot but along with it will be a note that I must decline to serve.”
According to the about face of the Gaming commission Perea need not apply for a waiver and does not face the threat of fines.
Perea owns the Border Inn in Baker Nevada, a small tourist hotel that also sports a tiny casino and bar.
But while investigators told Perea one thing, their boss Frank Streshley said quite another in an interview with the High Desert Advocate.
“All Mr. Perea has to do is not to be apart of the operations at his property that would conflict with his being on the county commission.” Streshley said.
Perea confirmed that as of last week he also had been told that he no longer needed to either resign or to withdraw from the upcoming election.
“I was told that all I needed was a letter from our district attorney that I was not in violation,” he said somewhat confusedly.
One of the most active White Pine Commissioners Perea was one of a handful of reformers that brought the county out of bankruptcy eight years ago and back into solvency. He also led the fight against the Las Vegas water grab and several sources speculated that the sudden interest in his 40 slot machines was politically motivated by the Las Vegas dominated Gaming control Board.
While any direct links between the SNWA and the gaming investigation have yet to be found the nature and the timing of the investigation has certainly raised eye brows in White Pine County.
First elected in 2004 Perea has had to undergo yearly audits by gaming investigators who knew of his political position as a White Pine County Commissioner. With his name on the county letter head his employment on record with the state Perea made no attempt to hide either where he worked or what he owned.
And while Perea was told to resign immediately, another elected official in White Pine county, Ely City Councilman Shane Bybee was not even targeted by the gaming board even though he has a gaming license and is in the same territory of the investigator as Perea.
“I have been in charge of gaming Tax and License for three and a half years,” Streshley added. “And I have never seen this type of investigation before.”
Even before the sudden reversal of Perea fortunes there was a movement underway to draft the Commissioner in the up coming election.
In a half page ad Perea backers are urging voters to reelect the two term Commissioner any way to at least keep the seat in the Democratic Party if nothing else.
It will become apparent next Tuesday just how much damage Perea suffered as a result of an over achieving gaming agent.
But no matter if he wins or loses the involvement of gaming in an election has not gone unnoticed.
both Assemblymen John Ellison and Pete Goichochea said they would call for and support a full scale investigation of the Gaming Control board and give special attention to any relationship official or unofficial of the SNWA.
“I think it stinks,” Ellison said. “And if there is SNWA involvement heads might role.”
It would not be surprising if there were casual connection between the two agencies.
The public government workforce in the state often includes spouses or family members. It is not uncommon for instance to have a wife working as a professor in a university with a husband serving in city, state, or county government in another capacity.
The issue in an investigation into the Perea affair would be if someone at the SNWA influenced the investigation into Perea with the goal of destroying the political career of one of its chief opponents.
“I would hope this can be chalked up to incompetence,” Goichochea said. “If it is corruption it is another story.”
