Las Vegas Democrat Assemblywoman Michelle Gorelow has announced she is not seeking reelection next year after it was revealed that she voted to appropriate $250 thousand to a non-profit weeks before that very same organization hired her as its executive director.
Las Vegas Review-Journal’s Taylor Avery broke the initial story, but it was the pro-Lombardo Better Nevada PAC that did the initial digging and open records request on Assemblywoman Gorelow.
On Thursday, Republican operative Chuck Muth filed a formal ethics complaint against Assemblywoman Gorelow.
“They have the power to compel, I believe testimony, maybe even sworn testimony to ask questions. How did this come about? Did you know about this job opening prior to voting the $250 thousand dollars. There is a lot of questions here that need to be answered if they won’t answer the media and to the public. Hopefully the Ethics Commission will have some power to be able to compel such answers,” said Citizen Outreach President Chuck Muth.
This, as new potential records of conflicts of interest could be surfacing from assembly members voting for appropriations to non-profit on the same omnibus AB 525 “Christmas Tree Bill” which sends millions of tax dollars to 56 non profits across Nevada.
The ethics complaint also names Assemblywoman Tracy Brown-May who sits on the board of Gorelow’s organization, The Arc of Nevada.
“We will continue looking at the records of these democrat legislators and hold them accountable because clearly they think they can get away with giving this amount of money to organizations that they have affiliations with. And, Michelle Gorelow wasn’t the only one that had conflict of interest here. Tracy Brown-May another democrat assemblywoman, she is on the board of directors for this organization, she did not recuse herself,” said Better Nevada PAC Director of Operation John Burke.
Assemblywoman Tracy Brown-May responded to us saying, “I am a volunteer board member of Arc of Nevada, which serves people with intellectual disabilities and development disabilities in our state. It was Legislative Counsel Bureau’s legal opinion that I could vote on AB 525.”
The Legislative Council Bureau’s legal division responded to our request saying the assembly members’ vote on AB525 met ethics standards, and that Gorelow is not required to disclose any affiliation she may have had with The Arc of Nevada.
“LCB is trying to make this sounds like it’s all okay and I’m not buying it and I’m seriously doubt if the public is going to buy it,” said Muth.
In a statement from Assembly Democrats, Gorelow said, “After discussions with my family, friends, and legislative leadership, I made the decision not to run again in 2024. It was an honor and a privilege to serve in the Nevada Legislature” said Assemblywoman Michelle Gorelow. She continued, “After dedicating decades of my career to nonprofit work, I plan to continue serving my community by advocating for Nevadans with intellectual and developmental disabilities. I look forward to the important work ahead of me and spending more time with my family.”
“I support Assemblywoman Michelle Gorelow’s decision not to run for re-election in 2024,” said Speaker Steve Yeager. He continued, “I thank her for her service to the state of Nevada over the last several years, and I look forward to witnessing everything she will accomplish in the next chapter of her life. ”
