Board rules in favor of North Las Vegas in case against former employees

An administrative board on Wednesday ruled against two former employees of North Las Vegas’ human resources department who alleged Mayor John Lee abused his office to hire friends and acquaintances who were not qualified to work at City Hall.

Tammy Bonner and Bachera Washington claimed that the city’s decision to privatize functions of the human resources department as a way to save money was a ruse to get rid of workers who stood up to the mayor, according to a complaint filed in 2015 with the Employee-Management Relations Board.

The panel — a division of the state’s Department of Business and Industry that handles disagreements between local governments and their employees — rejected Bonner’s and Washington’s requests to get their jobs back, attorney’s fees and back pay.

Their attorney, Adam Levine, did not return a phone call seeking comment.

“We are pleased the truth finally came out after the EMRB’s careful consideration of the allegations, and thankful for the EMRB’s fair and just decision in finding that the city acted properly across the board,” North Las Vegas City Attorney Micaela Moore said in a statement.

North Las Vegas looked to save money as it struggled to recover from the recession. One cost-cutting measure adopted by the City Council called for outsourcing the city’s human resources department to save $1 million to $2 million over two years.

The complaint alleged that Bonner’s and Washington’s checks were dated the same day that the council voted on the privatization plan.

Bonner and Washington alleged that their jobs were eliminated as retaliation for filing an ethics complaint against the mayor. Bonner had worked for the city for 13 years; Washington worked there 22 years.

Previously, Bonner and Washington filed separate complaints in 2014 alleging their raises were improperly taken away. The city reached a settlement in that case in December 2014, agreeing to pay each of them $100,000 and give them back pay.

Contact Art Marroquin at amarroquin@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0336. Find @AMarroquin_LV on Twitter.