Clark County commissioners facing ethics investigation

LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — At least three Clark County commissioners have received letters from the Nevada Ethics Commission, informing them they are under investigation over accepting free tickets to the Formula 1 race in November.

Clark County Commission Chairman Tick Segerblom posted a letter from the Ethics Commission on X, detailing the investigation.

Commissioners Justin Jones and Jim Gibson later confirmed they'd received a similar letter.

Segerblom and Jones declined to comment, Ross Miller and William McCurdy II didn't return our calls seeking comment, but Gibson said he gained a greater understanding of the race after he attended it.

"I think there was a real value in doing that," he said.

All seven county commissioners were offered tickets from F1, ostensibly so they could see firsthand how the race was operating. The tickets allowed admission to the Skybox area, had a face value of $10,000 plus a $900 live entertainment tax, and were valid for all four days of the race.

"The Ticket is being provided to you for purposes of educating you about the Grand Prix and how the Clark County Commission can best work with (Las Vegas Grand Prix) with respect to the Grand Prix," reads a letter to each commissioner from the race's senior vice president and general counsel Craig Troyer.

Commissioners were to be treated to tours showing how people got into and out of the seating areas for the race, safety measures, race operations, food and beverage services and the group's community engagement.

Gibson said he was able to tour the facility using the F1-provided ticket, including seeing safety personnel at work and touring a large food-preparation area.

"They showed us around," he said. "They took us everywhere."

Commissioner Jones by stevesebelius on Scribd

The race snarled traffic and caused public outrage for months as streets were repaved to bring them up to race standards. Hotel workers found it especially difficult to get to and from work during the preparation for the race and during race days and a post-race lawsuit has been filed by a business owner who said he lost money because of the race and its infrastructure.

Gibson said the visit was important because the commission was responsible for the event, the first of its kind in Las Vegas.

"This was an event that none of us [commissioners] had a clue about," he said. "None of us had a clue as to how any of this was going to happen."

The Ethics Commission's letter says the commission itself initiated the probe. It lists several potential violations that commissioners face, including violations of laws that ban seeking or accepting gifts, using one's position in government to secure unwarranted privileges and failing to abstain from an official matter which is affected by a gift.

Another allegation — failing to sufficiently disclose a gift — seems to be contradicted by the fact that Gibson, Segerblom, Jones, Miller and McCurdy II currently list the price of the ticket on their annual financial disclosure forms filed with the Nevada secretary of state.

Two other commissioners — Marilyn Kirkpatrick and Michael Naft — declined to attend the race.

Gibson said he's attended other events as a public official, including a race at the Las Vegas Speedway, hotel openings, conventions and the openings of new restaurants. He said he's confused about why the Ethics Commission would initiate a complaint over F1.

"I'm surprised by it," he said. "I really do not understand why this would result in an ethics complaint."

The letter gives commissioners a deadline of July 23 to respond to the notice.