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Aug. 15, 2008
Copyright © Las Vegas Review-Journal

Panel to hear Gibbons case in September

Undeserved tax break alleged

By Sean Whaley
REVIEW-JOURNAL CAPITAL BUREAU

Jim Gibbons
Governor has said complaint made by Democratic official is partisan

By SEAN WHALEY

CARSON CITY -- A two-member panel of the state Ethics Commission will decide Sept. 11 whether there is enough evidence to proceed with a hearing on whether Gov. Jim Gibbons received an undeserved property tax break on land he owns in Elko County.

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    • The complaint was filed by the executive director of the Nevada Democratic Party.

    Gibbons has called the complaint baseless.

    Patty Cafferata, executive director of the Ethics Commission, said the hearing will be public in keeping with Gibbons' wishes that the entire ethics proceeding be open.

    Such proceedings usually are confidential until a decision has been reached by the panel on whether to dismiss an ethics complaint or move forward to a full hearing.

    Cafferata said that at Gibbons' request, all of the information about the complaint and his response are posted on the agency's Web site at http://ethics.nv.gov/.

    Commissioners Mark Hutchison and Paul Lamboley will consider the evidence submitted by Democratic Party official Travis Brock and Gibbons' response and decide whether there is reason to take the matter to a full hearing or dismiss it.

    Only one of the two commissioners has to vote to go forward for the complaint to be heard by the entire panel.

    Brock has alleged that Gibbons got a tax break he did not deserve on the vacant land in rural Elko County.

    The 40 acres now owned by Gibbons were part of a ranch owned by a former judge, Jerry Carr Whitehead, who has paid Gibbons more than $5,700 in lease payments to use the land for grazing.

    Based on that, Gibbons said the land deserved to be classified as agricultural.

    Elko County Assessor Joe Aguirre has said he felt pressured by Gibbons and Gibbons' lawyer in the matter, Tax Commissioner John Marvel, to grant the agricultural status.

    Gibbons said the complaint by Brock is partisan.

    Contact Capital Bureau reporter Sean Whaley at swhaley@reviewjournal.com or 775-687-3900.

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    Mr. Anderson wrote on August 15, 2008 03:15 PM: So if he is found to be within the law you are going to automatically assume it’s a cover up. Republicans are the same way when dealing with the democrat controversies. Both sides dig up dirt or anything that can be perceived as dirt, spin it to sound as bad as it possibly can without looking at the real facts, laws, or in this case how that county has dealt with these issues in the past and what the operating procedures are in the area then they run to their respective friends in the media to get people like you all riled up to create an issue valid or not.

    get a life


    Sean Complete wrote on August 15, 2008 11:45 AM: Mark Hutchison, a GOP donor was re-appointed to Ethics Commission January 2008 by GIBBONS:

    Paul Lamboley is a Democratic Party donor and was appointed by Legislative Commission in 2008. I question his being on the Commission on Ethics as he works for the State as an attorney.
    april2008pleading

    < href="http://dop.nv.gov/perds/2006/17-06.pdf">humanresources

    < href="http://www.lvrj.com/news/22803914.html">lvrj

    Both are attorneys.


    puddinghead wrote on August 15, 2008 09:00 AM: Oh and the link from Patty's Ethics Commission site to the Governor's site is a warm touch.


    Judy wrote on August 15, 2008 08:56 AM: Ahem..........

    Cafferata said that at Gibbons' request, all of the information about the complaint and his response are posted on the agency's Web site at http://ethics.nv.gov/.

    This is public information. the spin begins already! It is not posted at Gibbers request. What - do we all look that stupid?

    Patty Cafferata as the executive director of the Ethics Commission is the biggest joke in Nevada besides the idiot in the Governor's mansion.


    joe wrote on August 15, 2008 07:39 AM: Hoping for the best but expecting the worst here. I wonder which state Ethics Commission boss ol' Jim-Bob knows? And I wonder who'll be putting pressure on Mr. Hutchinson and Mr. Lamboley on behalf of Jimmy the Joke?

    "Dim" Jim Gibbons obviously has something up his sleeve. For him not to try and hide his dealings is very, very unusual for the "Lubby Gubby".


    wildbill wrote on August 15, 2008 06:44 AM: itsok....You are right, this will go nowhere. But we must maintain hope that this will stick and we can rid ourselves of this guy sooner than 2010. Of course he wants it held out in the open, he's a typical Washington political scumbag who believes he can get away with anything (especially with the chickies). On that note....any plans for the weekend Jimbo? Heard a rumor about a big swingers party down here in Vegas buddy....if you can't make it, maybe Dawny can.


    itsok wrote on August 15, 2008 06:30 AM: We already know the outcome it's ok we don't need the pony show