Being Unethical is Practically Legal in this State …

Spoiler alert - make sure you watch the video when Reese calls out the Nevada Commission on Ethics after having his ethic complaints dismissed or deferred.

We’ve said it before, and we’ll say it again—why does the Nevada Commission on Ethics even exist? Yesterday’s meeting was nothing more than a backroom deal factory, where everything is conveniently confidential. Translation: citizens are kept in the dark while politicians cut themselves sweetheart deals.

Governor Joe Lombardo, the Clark County Commission, and the guy who just keeps getting ethic complaints, Reno Councilmember Devon Reese, all walk away unscathed. No accountability. No transparency. No consequences.

It’s astonishing that Councilmember Devon Reese chose to play the victim and accuse the Nevada Commission on Ethics of wrongdoing after the deal was made and his ethic complaints evaporated. He claims the Commission didn’t do its job, indicated he “stole” from Reno citizens, and says he deserves better.

Funny, considering Reese filed for bankruptcy, leaving creditors unpaid—not technically theft, but certainly a reminder that some people didn’t get what they were owed. Meanwhile, the citizens of Reno? They deserve better than a public official turning himself into a martyr.

Now he’s off to the State Bar of Nevada’s Office of Bar Counsel to complain about the Nevada Commission on Ethic’s Executive Director Ross Armstrong. Our advice: Reno residents, you need to head to the bar too and pour a stiff drink—because watching Reese play the victim is, frankly, ridiculous.

This so-called watchdog agency, the Nevada Commission on Ethics, isn’t a watchdog at all—allowing Nevada’s political class to help itself to whatever it wants. And don’t look to the Legislature for clarity; the laws are written so vaguely that “being unethical” is practically legal in this state.

The message from yesterday’s charade was loud and clear: Go ahead, bend the rules, play dirty politics, disrespect the public—you won’t get caught. Oh, and then a guy you made a dismissal and deferral agreement with with can take you to task. Watch the video of Reese losing his cool, and remember this guy wants to be Reno’s mayor.