'Abuse of power': Ousted Nevada county formal alleges Democratic retribution

Ryan King

June 08, 07:23 PM June 08, 07:23 PM

Jenna Waltho was agitated more than how area commissioners in a populous section of Nevada would steamroll decrease advisory boards on vital improvement selections when she declared her candidacy for one particular of the seats. Now, she is alleging very similar knavery directed her way for daring to challenge her aged boss’s colleague in an election.

Democratic Clark County District A Commissioner Michael Naft appointed Waltho as his scheduling commissioner last year but successfully moved to oust her from the put up previous thirty day period immediately after she informed him in September about her intent to run from his Democratic colleague, District F Commissioner Justin Jones.

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“They preferred to make it tough for me and sluggish down my marketing campaign,” she advised the Washington Examiner. “But that is just not the case. It really is not slowing me down. It is not preserving me peaceful. If something, it is the opposite. And I am continue to a voice for the neighbors and [I still] go to town board conferences to be there to assistance them.”

Clark County, household to Las Vegas and additional than 2 million people today, is the greatest county in Nevada in conditions of populace. The county has a complete of seven commissioners that oversee county govt operations. Waltho lives in District F but had been appointed by Naft, who signifies District A.

Naft asserted he moved to boot Waltho from her purpose simply because she has injected politics into the post. Waltho had been registered as an unbiased when he appointed her scheduling commissioner but became a Republican soon prior to she announced her candidacy final September. All seven of the county’s commissioners are Democrats.

“From my check out, I assume she has tried out to use that role politically, and that’s actually the place that experienced to conclusion for me,” Naft claimed, in accordance to the Las Vegas Review-Journal.

Waltho’s expression as arranging commissioner, which would make recommendations on land use zoning procedures, experienced been slated to final right up until January 2025. She was replaced by Liane Lee. Waltho explained she is unaware of Lee having any prior land use or zoning knowledge. The Washington Examiner attained out to the Clark County Preparing Division for comment.

Waltho mentioned she experienced to begin with been chosen for the arranging commissioner purpose since of her time on the Enterprise Town Advisory Board.

In March, the Clark County Fee greenlit an ordinance to make clear that organizing commissioners serve at the satisfaction of the county's commissioners, paving the way for her ouster. Prior rules expected a community listening to and a majority vote from the board of commissioners to clear away a setting up commissioner.

“It appears really common perception that if you employ anyone, you really should be able to fireplace any person,” Naft mentioned in April, according to the Las Vegas Evaluate-Journal.

Waltho mentioned she was never individually given a explanation for her ouster.

“We've viewed some things, but to me personally, he claimed that ‘this may be no surprise to you, but I'm relocating in a various course with my scheduling commissioner,’ and that was all that was claimed to me,” she recalled.

“I've by no means skipped a meeting or a briefing, which is quite vital because, you know, there was no purpose to have me eliminated — it was only completed as a political shift,” she additional.

In purchase to confront off from Jones in the slide, Waltho will have to 1st defeat three big main challengers to lock down the Republican nod on June 14.

“There's no other individual sitting down on that board that's a Republican. There is no checks and balances of electrical power. Then, it potential customers to abuse of energy, which we have noticed in this article with me finding taken out, but there was no person else to appoint me to the scheduling commission,” she explained.

Waltho cited several good reasons for her choice to run versus Jones. She thinks he has not accomplished a fantastic task guaranteeing that area infrastructure keeps up with new development jobs and has failed on public basic safety problems.

“There's a great deal of concerns with advancement happening much too fast in our infrastructure not happening, and then our transportation solutions are not going on as very well to preserve up with that,” she said. “We absolutely have to be a supporter of Metro. We have to get in there and aid them make their task less difficult. They need to have to sense the support from their elected officers.”

The Washington Examiner regularly reached out to Naft and Jones for comment.

Jones was formerly engulfed in controversy for allegedly orchestrating a “quid pro quo” with Gov. Steve Sisolak (D), who was Naft’s predecessor as District A commissioner. Jones was accused by a enhancement firm of giving to fall a lawsuit versus the county from his client, the environmental group Preserve Pink Rock, in 2018 in exchange for Sisolak agreeing to hold off a vote on a enhancement project, for every the Las Vegas Overview-Journal. Sisolak was serving as a county commissioner, while Jones was not a commissioner at the time. The vote was subsequently delayed, and litigation is pending over the make a difference.