(Mike Zahara) – Much has been written and nothing has ever been done about public employees running for legislative positions irrespective of Nevada law which bars such participation for obvious reasons in our Dillon state. But there are also other conflicts that should give voters pause when private-sector candidates make the wrong decisions regarding running for office and without any regard to appearances, ethical conduct, and actual conflicts of interest.
If you have an appearance of a conflict of interest or ethical dilemma, it is automatically an actual conflict of interest and ethical dilemma and you shouldn’t go forward. Here’s a case in point:
State Senator David Parks is not of the private sector but is currently running for the Rory Reid seat on the Clark County Commission and he accepted a $5,000 check from Commissioner Chris Giunchigliani-Gray on December 4, 2009.
They have been friends for forever, but Parks doesn’t see that taking that 5K as the political money-laundering it appears to be when he admitted to me Gary Gray is managing his current campaign and his latest filing lists Gray & Associates under ‘F’ consulting expenses on December 18, 2009, beginning just 14 days after his receiving Chris G’s hefty donation!
It’s essentially taking money out of one family member’s pocket and placing into another member’s pocket through a third-party intermediary.
But, the much bigger conflict for Senator David Parks is that by his accepting her money, it makes it look like Chris G-G is buying his vote for her to be Chairman of the Clark County Board of Commissioners which everyone in the state expects her to attempt despite her having very powerful enemies.
Given that by some accounts, Gary Gray consulting business is almost nonexistent because of the ongoing FBI investigation of him, on its face, it looks like Chris G-G is laundering her campaign money to her husband through Senator David Parks to keep her old man afloat.
Because she is taking her campaign money and apparently going through a third party close friend in Senator David Parks to enrich her husband/family’s bottom line, the $5,000 may in fact be taxable income for both Chris and Gary and has apparently caught the attention of the FBI agents’ continuing investigation of her husband.
It also just looks exceedingly bad David. Give the money back to Chris G-G and restore your reputation.
(Mr. Zahara writes the WatchdogWag.com blog)
