Boyfriend’s resignation is collateral damage in Radetich-gate

Somehow it’s not fair that the boyfriend was the first to go, but even though I like Jack Finn and worked well with him over many years, after I read his quotes defending his girlfriend, Nina Radetich, in the Sept. 12 story in the Las Vegas Sun, I knew he had blown it.

Did he really think Radetich “did a pretty good job of upholding her ethical standards”? Did he really think Radetich did the right thing? Someone who was supposedly an expert in spinning the media said some really stupid things, and in doing so, hurt his own credibility.

Finn, a former spokesman for Gov. Kenny Guinn and U.S. Sen. John Ensign and a former television reporter, resigned as special projects manager for NV Energy effective Sept. 21. “I resigned to pursue other opportunities,” he confirmed Wednesday.

Maybe he left of his own accord, maybe he was given the bum’s rush.
 
I haven’t received an answer to my question about whether NV Energy had a policy about freelance work, or whether Finn had violated it.

What I do know is that if a friend called me about a story someone else at the Las Vegas Review-Journal was working on and asked me for advice on how they could mitigate the damage, I’d say that ethically, I can’t talk about it and offer this advice: Talk to the reporter, don’t go with “no comment.”

Radetich, anchor at KTNV-TV, Channel 13, didn’t do that.

The Las Vegas Sun reported that when Roshie Weightman, owner of Tire Works, a company being investigated by Channel 13, called Radetich to ask for help, Radetich recommended she call the anchor’s boyfriend, Finn.

The Las Vegas Sun quoted Radetich as saying: "He sort of does this stuff on the side. But he is more than willing to talk to you and this is, like, his favorite thing to do. I’m not kidding. If he could do this full time — consult and tell people how to handle the media — he would.”

Her tape-recorded comments (and yes, it is illegal to tape someone on the phone without his or her knowledge) raised doubts about how serious Finn was about his job at NV Energy.

When the story broke and her station’s general manager, Jim Prather, called Radetich’s actions “a lapse in judgment,” I thought three things would happen and should happen: Radetich would be fired, Prather would be fired, and yes, Finn would be fired because his ethics would be called into question for defending his girlfriend’s ethics.

Of the three, Finn was the least culpable, especially since he never talked to Weightman. Now he’s the first to go. NV Energy can’t afford to keep on staff a special projects manager who doesn’t see the error of his girlfriend’s ways.

Finn’s resignation from NV Energy is collateral damage from his girlfriend’s unethical behavior. I’m sure she feels awful about that.

Jack Finn is standing by his woman … and as a result, now he's pursuing other opportunities when the ones who should be pursuing other opportunities are Radetich and Prather.