The Ethics Commission ruled 5:1 that Atkinson Gates broke the law by using her position to help her political cronies obtain airport business concessions. She also broke the law by failing to disclose and abstain from voting on these concessions. The Ethics Commission findings show that Atkinson Gates broke the law SIX TIMES!

There used to be a time in our country when politicians were caught doing something wrong, they had enough personal courage to step down and disappear from the political arena. Times have changed. Even though the Ethics Commission found her guilty, along with Lance Malone, they both remain in office (with no fines or punishment) spending the taxpayers' money. It's a shame that politicians caught doing wrong don't have the courage to step down. They have to be completely discredited and thrown out.

There is still an FBI investigation pending regarding the Airport contracts. Do we have to wait until the FBI finds out Atkinson Gates committed a felony before she is removed from office?

Remember this name:

This Atkinson Gates "Gate" went on for almost a year. We want to know what this cost each taxpayer for all the meetings Atkinson Gates didn't appear, the cost of the attorneys paid by the taxpayers, and the Ethics Committee Hearing also paid by the taxpayers.

Yes, the taxpayers paid the bill for this embarassing four-day spectacle. The State Ethics Commission found that two commissioners don't have much ethics regarding their efforts to help their pals secure lucrative airport concession contracts -- each worth at least $500,000 in profit per year! They used their office to help their friends secure these contracts and did not disclose their conflicts and abstaining when the airport concession issue came before the commission. And the guilty parties are not punished, not even made to pay a substantial fine which would at least pay some of the bill the taxpayers paid!!

We hope and trust that our Attorney General, Frankie Sue Del Pappa, and District Attorney, Stewart Bell, thoroughly examine the findings and determine if criminal charges are warranted. (Hopefully, they aren't too busy with their re-election campaigns!)

Our D.A. did wake up a few times. He said that he doesn't have the authority to void the airport concession contracts, but he did send a message to all unsuccessful applicants: If an unsuccessful applicant brings a lawsuit against the county, it would be our responsibility to defend that action." We're not exactly clear whom the D.A. will defend -- the county or the unsuccessful applicant.

The federal government decided some time back that it would be nice if some of these lucrative airport concessions were to go to the "disadvantaged." Who are the "disadvantaged" people who got these concesssions?

• Michael Chambliss - Yvonne Atkinson Gates' campaign consultant received 2 concessions.
• Gay Reber The GRR Group, run by Gay Reber, a close friend of Lane Malone's wife, received 2 concessions. Remember Malone's remark: "I didn't know it was that Gay Reber."
• Judy Klein & Vicky Richardson - An airport coffee concession went to JV Ventures, owned by these two women. Ms. Klein is a close friend of both County Commissioner Myrna Williams and Yvonne Atkinson Gates.
• Kathleen Morris and Sig Rogich - Ms. Morris, who lives in Colorado, is the daughter of longtime county airport boss, Bob Broadbent. Mr. Rogich, the other half of this disadvantaged apparel enterprise, is a powerful local advertising executive and political consultant - and former aide to President Bush. Mr. Rogich also owns 10% of a duty free shop at McCarran, and until recently, his wife, Margot, was an investor in an airport cigar cart.

What do you say, friends (sorry, "disadvantaged" friends) of Atkinson Gates? Do you think it would be morally right to give up these concessions and let the truly disadvantaged have these businesses?

Shelley Berkley said it all when she tried to explain how "business is done" in Las Vegas. She said you have to make campaign contributions to judges so they can fix tickets, and reduce demerit points for employees. This is the type of representative the citizens of Nevada elected to the Congress in 1998. She is now running for re-election -- she MUST be stopped! She believes all politicians should do business through bribery. Get her out of office!

Here are Ms. Berkley's thoughts about Yvonne Atkinson Gates:
"The one thing Gates cares more about than her politics is - money. Yvonne wants money. She wants a business."

It's time to stop the political career of Yvonne Atkinson Gates and Shelley Berkley before they do more damage.

LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL
Best of the Worst
_____________________

Community's Biggest Embarrassment
Readers' Pick:

One of the most powerful members of the Clark County Commission became one of the most well-publicized over the past year for all the wrong reasons. Commission Chairwoman Yvonne Atkinson Gates was found guilty of violating state ethics laws for using her political clout to advance her frozen daiquiri business. Although she dropped out of the business, her behavior was enough for readers to give her the big thumbs down.