By Mark Waite
Nye County isn’t the lightly-populated, rural county it once was, where government employees tended to be, well, related.
But the list of bills for payment on the Nye County payroll every quarter still lists a lot of the same surnames: the Murphys, the Bechts, the Weldons, the Kipps, the Wehrlys and the Medinas.
It seems local government remains somewhat of a family affair in these parts.
A combination of factors appear to have contributed to this situation — prior qualifications, the lack of a sizeable labor pool when county operations were more centered in Tonopah, a tradition of law enforcement in some families, while others just fell in love at the office.
Back in February 2009, in a community viewpoint article printed in the Pahrump Valley Times, Kathy Stone and Don Rust alleged rampant nepotism was the reason why the county didn’t want to continue publishing a list of bills for payment in the newspaper. Legislators this session adopted a bill to let counties print some legal sections, like the assessor’s tax list, online instead of in the newspaper, though it was touted as a cost-saving measure.
“Make no mistake about it — wanting to cease printing this document appears to be due to the fact it allows us taxpayers to see the alleged rampant nepotism, as evidenced by how many families have multiple members working,” the authors wrote in 2009.
Stone and Rust complained that while local people were desperately seek employment, certain families seemed to have made the right kinds of connection to get county jobs. The two said they have submitted applications for jobs with Nye County for years but have nothing to show for it. Stone said she applied for every county position and in 10 years only received one interview.
A Nye County personnel policy passed in November 2009 states, “pursuant to the provisions of NRS 281.210 no officer or appointing authority of Nye County may employ in any capacity on behalf of the county any relative of such person who is within the third degree of consanguinity or affinity.”
Consanguinity means a blood relationship. Affinity means simply a kinship.
“In addition, no person shall be employed in a position if such employment would require supervision by a relative who is within the third degree of consanguinity or affinity,” the policy states.
The first degree is a parent or child, spouse or domestic partner. The second degree is a grandparent or grandchild, brother or sister, daughter or son in-law. The third degree branches out to include great grandparents, aunts or uncles, nieces and nephews, as well as great-grandchildren. So it wouldn’t be until the fourth degree, a first cousin, great aunt or uncle, great- great-grandparent, grand nephew or niece, that there are no restrictions at all.
Nye County Human Resources Manager Danelle Shamrell was on vacation and unavailable for comment.
Nye County Manager Rick Osborne said the county follows the employment policy.
“The concept is that we don’t want to prohibit someone who may be in the same family tree from getting a job here, but we don’t want to put them in a situation where they’re going to be supervised, or be the supervisor, of someone that is a close relative,” Osborne said.
By the way, Rick Osborne is not related to Nye County Planning Director Steve Osborne. When Rick Osborne was asked whether there was a level playing field where anyone can apply for a county job and get fair consideration, he said, “absolutely they can.”
Nye County Sheriff’s Deputy Travis Huggins said his employment was a requirement to the hiring of his brother Steve Huggins back in 1987. Travis Huggins had worked for Las Vegas Metro Police Department before he came to the Nye County Sheriff’s Office.
“The only way they could hire him is if I came along because I was already trained. I wouldn’t cost them anything,” Travis Huggins said.
His wife Mary Huggins, also a sheriff’s deputy, was a highway patrol trooper in Beatty in the 1990s when the two met. Mary Huggins was also trained in the Police Officer Standards and Training (POST) program so the sheriff’s department didn’t have to send her to the academy, he said.
“They kind of put you to the top of the list as far as potential applicants if you’re able to work for free, do a credible job and they don’t have to spend extra money for you,” Huggins said.
When he first started work for the sheriff’s department, Huggins said it was common for their wives to work at the sheriff’s office when there were no dispatchers in places like Beatty.
“You’d leave a hand set with someone like your wife at home where you could talk to somebody who could get on the phone and call Tonopah,” he said.
Sam and Sandra Musselman, who together reaped the most off the county’s early retirement buyout program last summer, worth almost a combined $225,000 in benefits to the couple, each put in over 20 years. Sandra was the county assessor for 30 years, while Sam worked for public works.
Sandra said she started work for the county in Tonopah back in 1984 when there wasn’t much of a pool of workers to select from.
“Who else is going to work in Tonopah except the people that have been there forever? There isn’t a lot of turnover there and people who come there usually work in the mines,” she said.
Her husband, who had worked for the Nevada Department of Transportation in Tonopah, pestered a former Nye County Road Department supervisor, the late Harry “Button” Ford, until he was eventually hired.
“Back in 1988 and 1989, when we came down here, Pahrump was still a very small community. There was not a lot of people to choose from. So I guess that’s how we both ended up being in the county,” Sandra said during a break in a recent county commission meeting.
As a matter of reference, Sam said back then there was only a blinking red light stopping traffic on Highway 372 at the junction with Highway 160. Grocery shopping had to be done at Dodge’s Market or at PJ’s.
Nye County Commissioner Joni Eastley said she doesn’t get involved in hiring personnel other than the county manager. But she concurred with Musselman.
“We just have a small labor pool up here. If somebody is related to somebody and they can get on with the county, I can understand that. It happened a lot at Round Mountain Gold,” she said. “I keep hearing complaints from Pahrump residents that they can never get a job with the county. I never hear it from Tonopah because the labor pool is so limited.”
“From everything that I’ve seen I’d say that our hiring practices are fair and equitable,” she said.
Gradually, more county functions are being moved from Tonopah, the county seat, to Pahrump, with 83 percent of the county’s population.
Sam Musselman’s former boss, Nye County Public Works Director Dave Fanning, met his wife while she worked in the county human resources department, before she transferred to her present job as grants administrator.
Nye County Clerk Sam Merlino said she began work for the county in 1995, while her father-in-law, Bernie Merlino, was county assessor, but it didn’t help her get the job.
Before she was elected county commissioner, Lorinda Wichman served a brief stint in 2004 as an administrative assistant for Nye County, her husband Oz Wichman works as an engineering technician for the Nye County Public Works Department.
Ronald Kipp is a legal secretary for the district attorney’s office in Tonopah. His daughter, Kristine Kipp, is a child support worker.
DA Brian Kunzi said Ronald Kipp worked for the county first.
“He would have had nothing to do with the hiring of Kristine,” Kunzi said.
Nye County Sheriff Tony DeMeo said it’s not uncommon to find members of a family working together in law enforcement. DeMeo said it runs in his family, going back to his great-grandfather who was a New York City cop beginning in the 1890s. The sheriff said his nephew applied to be a Nye County Sheriff’s deputy but wasn’t allowed to be hired. DeMeo said he has a cousin working as a New York City cop.
“It just follows a progression of people wanting to follow that particular profession,” DeMeo said.
The hiring of a deputy is based upon their abilities in the written test and physical fitness test, as well as the background checks, the sheriff said. The police academy is run by the state, he said.
Detective Eric Murphy is the nephew of deputy Joe Murphy. Eric was formerly employed by the Pahrump Valley Fire and Rescue Service, then went through the police academy when a position became available for a detective.
Two brothers on the sheriff’s department became well known due to a tragedy. Richard and Ian Deutch were deputies when they deployed to Afghanistan together with the 1st Squadron, 221st Cavalry of the Nevada Army National Guard in April 2009. Ian had worked for the Nye County Sheriff’s Department canine unit for five years, Richard started work as a detention officer in August 2008. Ian was killed his second day back on the job after his one year deployment.
George Wehrly works for the sheriff’s department; his mother Sharon Wehrly is an investigator for the DA’s office.
Capt. Bill Becht of the Nye County Sheriff’s Department has probably the most unusual situation — he could very easily encounter his current wife or two ex-wives while walking around county buildings. Lisa, his current wife, is a supervisor in the district attorney’s office; his ex-wife, Marie Becht, is an employee of the county appraiser’s office. Another, Robin Becht, is a deputy sheriff.
Law enforcement officials are limited in dating options, he said. It wouldn’t be appropriate to settle in with a woman who had a police record, for example. In fact, it’s a county policy.
Capt. Becht said he’s on amicable terms with his ex-wives, so it doesn’t create a problem. He wasn’t concerned about nepotism, as long as he didn’t hire any of them to work under him.
Still, sounds like some county departments really are one big happy family.
It get old reading people complaining about our sheriffs department.
Sorry, Mark…
I’ts Mark Waite..
Not Wait..
PS: like your sandals and Hawaiian Shirts
This is to DL.
And, if you get old then just die..
Maffia rules in the department..
Get it..
DRO
Ms. Becht,
Just the other day,a person wrote into the mirror telling about the corruption in the town that would never die, his home would never go up in value and that he was happy to be leaving!!! Many other people have left as well! And, yes, this article is very well written,TRUTHFUL and it no doubt has left off many other people who are connected!The truth always hurts. Oh, please. Give me a break. Like Louie DeCanio said, his wife was well qualified and received one interview. I spoke with well qualified construction workers who lived in Pahrump and they were not hired to build the jail neither!They are leaving the town as well. They had 20 years of experience! Further the town manager and these people have done nothing to make the town grow except for fireworks. One in four homes are vacant. Good job Waldo!
Dr.O and Louie,
And, the truth will set them free! I have 3 degrees and 7 years of college and have never seen a town, this size, ran by people who come from New York and California (the rich, powerful, ignorant and “I walk on you for the fun of it crowd)like Pahrump! They are the “in your face” type who have managed to rise to the top and run the whole town like a jail!IT IS THEIR WAY OR THE HIGHWAY. ASK YOURSELF this: WHY ISN’T PAHRUMP GROWING WITH LEGAL BUSINESS? It should be. This one guy said “he doesn’t want to live in a newer Pahrump built home BECAUSE they have REPAIR problems.” Hmm.
Who built all these homes and how did they get through inspections if they are 2008 built homes? So, he wants a high tech home? When one in four are vacant? I think he is joking…
Mark wrote one of the best written articles I have read in the PVT. Very informative so that all of Pahrump can understand what is happening. This is healthy for Pahrump.
Louie has owned businesses in Chicago. He is probably one of the most logical, intelligent people I know in Pahrump. He survived Chicago and thought Pahrump would be a great place to invest in. His wife and him are homeowners in Pahrump.
They want Pahrump to suceed and grow. They love Pahrump and dispise what is going down with all of this injustice.!!! This “one type of justice for some” needs to go. IT IS JUSTICE FOR ALL BY OUR CONSTITUTION. Ms. Becht needs to open her eyes to this.
Mr. DeCanio: You speak as though Chicago is or was some kind of war zone. What does your past in Chicago have to do with the present in Pahrump? I also read previously that you had to put up with public school kids while you attended a Catholic school. I was born and raised in Chicago and lived there for almost 40 years. I also went to Catholic schools and had run-ins with some public school kids. Whoop-de-do. It’s called growing up. As far as “connections” in the NCSO,I work for the NCSO and there is nothing corrupt about it. The process is fair and not everyone related to someone in the department has been accepted. I do pre-employment backgrounds and many have been rejected for reasons having nothing to do with relations. If a person is not qualified he or she is rejected. If a person is qualified, he or she then has to pass the background and testing. They are then put on the hiring list accordingly. Relations have nothing to do with this process. Maybe Carol will agree with this since I also grew up in such a rough place like Chicago.
I had a very good life back in chicago, and if the weather was better, I would still be there. I grew up on the west side of chicago on lexington st. near western ave. and I learned many things that could never be learned in a book. I was an electrician local#134 and I owned 2 bars and dealt with all the corruption the city had to offer including the police. I can spot a con job before they open their mouth and you deserve a BLUE RIBBON for your performance. If you do pre-employment background checks, I have been told, the NCSO has people working in the dept. both past & present that have been let go by other cities. You should get some brownie points for sticking up for the dept. but I don’t think you could spot a pile of s— if you stepped in it. I am NOT antipolice, as a matter of fact, some of my retired police friends will be in Las Vegas next week and are coming to my home 1 day for a barbecue. I don’t expect things to be perfect, but the corruption & collusion is so blatant it’s sickening.
Mr. DeCanio – I see you have finally come full circle.
The ole fallback “everyone is corrupt – I know it, I can see it, I can smell it, but darn it, I just can’t prove it” theme.
The ole “These guys in Nye County are so powerful and corrupt, why, even the feds are afraid to do anything about it” mantra.
Mr. DeCanio, you have a good day.
Rick Marshall
Rick, the feds aren’t afraid but they do take a long time to get the ball rolling. You have a nice day also, and I really meant it when I said if you see me in a restaurant, walk over and join me and have lunch as my guest.
Mr. DeCanio, I have heard for fifteen years how the feds are a sliver away from hauling everyone away in handcuffs. How, for years, CCSC has offered thousands of dollars for proof of a corrupt local official and not paid a single penny to anyone.
I know how long certain investigations take. I also know the excellent working relationship the Nye County Sheriff’s Office has with federal authorities.
I too, extend the invitation to you to join me for lunch.
Rick Marshall
I totally believe this story as I too, have applied for positions (some 10 years ago) just because I really needed a job and had the qualifications. I have the experience and when i tested, they even told me that they were impressed. Well, I got through the interview, and sure enough, got my sorry letter. Years later, that same division manager saw me and said, yeah you did really good. Their loss. When they apply and are qualified, good for them, however when you have spouses making $4000+ take home a paycheck, it gets frustrating to know that some qualified people have no chance of making that kind of money to make their life better.
All I can hope for is that if my family stays in Pahrump that my children marry someone employed at the county level. Maybe they can get a job after that. Keeping my eyes open for that opportunity. Might not be possible, but who knows.
I’m a professional road builder. I’ve been through the road scholar program, and can build a heck of a road with minimal funds. I applied for a job with the road dept. Never even got an interview. I know who got the job. Someone with no experience, but was connected through marriage. Next time you are driving on one of their road repairs that looks like a child did it, you will know why. Clark County hired me on the spot after a short interview. This is why nothing ever seems to work right in Pahrump. People get hired according to who they know, not what they know.
I heard that some fella related to Becket, his cousine I believe, was just hired kinda hush, hush, by NDOT to start looken into some kind of investigation involving DeMaeo and his goons. Sapposibly, the fed’s are finally brewing up some interest in what really goes on in the Sheriffs palace? Just saying what I been told on the lowdown. Maybe something will finally happen to help turn this town around? Just saying.
Mr. Dorsen,
Good for you. You were hired while the majority of “qualified” people go unhired. You have read a few of the letters on this post! YES, CHICAGO IS CORRUPT AS IT COMES UNLESS YOU ARE HELEN KELLER! Louie got away from there, hoping for a better life with the many people who exited Pahrump. Again, this is why Pahrump made 60 Minutes; it is one of the most corrupt towns in the USA…. unless of course you are one of “God’s” choosen people! One of my best friends grew up with his father being a well known litigation attorney in Chicago. He will never go back to Chicago due to the corruption. He knows Chicago very well and the details are not good to say the least! Yeah, I was raised Catholic and will not go back to that church BECAUSE OF THE holier then thou attitude! ISN’T DEMEO CATHOLIC…. hmm.
That is one of the reasons I will never go back. Too many like DeMeo saying all the Our Fathers after doing things one could not imagine and thinking that makes things fine and dandy.The good old confession to the priest makes it okay to “keep on doing what they are best at doing.” Right. No, these people who have written in have been stepped on by the ones of Pahrump who feel “entitlement.” Again, the town has gone no where and with this crap never will!! One in four homes are vacant, no businesses, no nothing except a jail and the jail families that will follow. Just say no to nepotism, cut the huge salaries of the “entitled” people, hire an attorney who lives and contributes to Pahrump not a Nevada attorney, to represent the town of Pahrump, lower prop taxes as home values have gone down, mandatory salary cuts for head of the electric company, fire, police when 30 million people are out of work they should come to the plate and take big cuts! After this, there could be money left over to hire qualified people to fill other small jobs in Pahrump…. cut, cut, cut from the top. Make sense?
If you had a good life in Chicago why don’t you tell the people that are kissing your a_ _ that you didn’t need to “survive” there? As far as corruption in the NCSO,it’s easy to talk about it, but how about something called proof? And as to not being able to spot a pile of s_ _ _ , most of these comments by you and your cronies are just that. And by the way Knows Nothing, Really – that’s a perfect handle for you. You should enter a spelling bee.
Comment removed. Stay on topic.
PVT
Why was my comment removed? The topic is nepotism and corruption and OPERATION GREYLORD covered both. The PVT must have gotten a call from one of the big guys to remove this so the public won’t get educated to the problems and the solutions. The PVT needs someone with guts to run this paper who will stay neutral and print both sides.
You and Richard got off topic and should have been told to go find your own sand box ages ago. You two have been having your own battle on a board meant for comment about the article and not to each other. Everyone is entitled to their opinion, and no one has the right to tell anyone else their’s is wrong. This isn’t your soapbox, nor Richard’s. Stay on topic and comment on the information in the article. This has gone quite far enough.
PVT
As publisher of the PVT I would like to make a few comments on this article, first,I would like to point out that I have not yet read all the comments, as there are many. The viewpoint published in 2009 authored by Ms. Stone and Mr. Rust was an opinion piece, their viewpoint as to their personal experience with the hiring practices in Nye Co. let me point out that this is an ongoing issue and concern in Nye Co. and is questioned by many.
This article was not written because it was a slow news day – this has been a continual issue and sore spot with taxpayers for years – it was time to address and hopefully put to rest or at least explain the hiring and payroll practices of Nye Co.
If you look back on Nye Co. employment 20 to 30 years ago, not only did you have a smaller population, but a smaller labor pool resulting in members of the same family being employed by the County. You also had competition with the Test Site and higher paying private companies hiring people out of the same limited group, sometimes, resulting in an increased starting pay to lure them away from private sector jobs to county jobs.
You can’t fault people for being in the right place at the right time – or for being loyal employees and staying on or advancing in their positions. If they were qualified for a position with Nye Co. and met all requirements for employment – it should NOT matter what their name is, as long as they follow the employment rules set forth by the county.
The salaries – in reality – are not exorbitant if these employees have been employed by Nye Co. for 20 or 30 years. When the economy was good, public sector employees received step increases and cost of living raises – if memory serves me correctly, (a mighty big “if”), after ten years of employment – step increases stopped and longevity (loyality) pay started resulting in higher income levels.
When the economy started to fail and the job pool of skilled workers increased due to the population more than doubling in (Pahrump) Nye Co. as well as high unemployment numbers increasing across the state, more and more folks are questioning every penny being spent by local, county, state and federal government. Nye Co. is feeling the pinch as well – with budget cuts across the board – they are doing more with less, and finding they must make additional cuts to an already stressed budget. As long as they are following the rules set forth regarding nepotism as stated by the Co. manager, there should be no further questions on this matter.
I hope this clarified and brought understanding to some of those commenting on this article.
Sincerely,
Marie Wujek
We all understand perfectly what they told you to say.
EDIT:Louie…no one tells the PVT what to say, including you.
PVT
If you stayed neutral like a newspaper is supposed to be, there wouldn’t be a problem. Don’t worry, I won’t post anything ever again, but I will be sure to tell everyone just what I think about the PVT and the puppets of the “GOOD OLD BOYS” that censor free speech, so only 1 side of a story is told…… HAVE A NICE DAY
Very good comment, Marie.
I spoke to Matt Ward today and relayed the following information to him.
I offered to let anyone from the news media review our list of personnel hired and compare the names.
Additionally, Since 2008, we have hired thirty two personnel and of those, three were related to exsisting sheriff’s office personnel.
So, I guess one could say that 3 out of 32 proves the nepotism and cronyism is alive and thriving.
Rick Marshall
Carol,
I guess one would assume that I’m Catholic since I attended Catholic schools. I would also assume this. My parents sent me to these schools for a good education. Once I left I was no longer associated with the Catholic religion. You make some good points and I didn’t intend to make it look like Chicago was Mayberry. But most large cities have the same problems, Chicago included. There are slums, ghettos, projects, and yes – corruption. My main point, though, was NCSO’s hiring process. Yes, I did get in ahead of other qualified people. That is because I scored higher and there were only a certain number of positions available. If 5 positions are available, obviously the top 5 in testing will get these jobs. And it should not matter if one of these people is related to someone already employed there. Call it nepotism. I call it discrimination.
Have a nice day.
Comment removed. Stay on topic.
PVT
These people in positions where there is obvious nepotism see absolutly nothing wrong with it. The same people are the ones who are supposed to be fair and serving the community. It seems there is a much greater need for self intrest than that of serving the people in Pahrump. Is there nothing wrong with that ?