Vegas ethics board dismisses complaint against prominent assemblyman

LAS VEGAS - The Las Vegas Ethics Review Board won't move forward with an ethics complaint alleging a conflict of interest by city employee and prominent state Assemblyman Morse Arberry.

John Hortas filed three complaints against Arberry, D-North Las Vegas, who has served for years as chairman of the powerful Assembly Ways and Means Committee.

Allegations against Arberry included questions about conflicts of interest, his residency and his city financial disclosure forms.

The most serious allegation is whether Arberry used his authority to help benefit his fiancee and her mortgage company.

Despite the decision, Arberry isn't home free. Two similar complaints filed by Hortas are pending with the state Ethics Commission and Secretary of State Dean Heller.

Arberry's lawyer, Richard Wright, argued that the city only had jurisdiction in one area - whether Arberry had properly filed his financial disclosure forms.

Wright said Arberry, who became deputy director of the city's Neighborhood Services Department in 1997, wasn't told in 1998 that he needed to file the report, but did file one when he was told in 1999.

On the second area of concern, Wright contended that it was the jurisdiction of the state Ethics Commission to examine the conflict-of-interest allegation.

Arberry voted for a bill in 1999 that authorized $2.8 million of state funds for the city of Las Vegas to use for redevelopment of new homes in West Las Vegas.

Hortas said Arberry had a conflict when he failed to disclose that his fiancee, Virgie Vincent, benefited because she owns one of the financing companies involved - Sahara Mortgage Co.

The ethics panel didn't act on a third issue: whether the city had jurisdiction to probe whether Arberry should have disclosed to his bosses that the money he had voted on as a legislator would benefit his Neighborhood Services Department.

Arberry's newly filed disclosure forms for 1999 show he gets income from Canyon Lake Mortgage. He has started his own mortgage company, separate from his fiancee's firm. He said he got his license in June.

Hortas said he hasn't heard from the state Ethics Commission whether it will pursue his complaint. Nor has he heard back from the secretary of state whether that office will determine if Arberry actually lives in his district.