Las Vegas City Council candidate accused of campaign violation

A local organization contends Las Vegas City Council candidate Steve Seroka, a retired Air Force colonel, is violating multiple military regulations with his campaign materials.

Veterans in Politics, headed by Steve Sanson, claimed in a Wednesday night email blast that Seroka’s campaign materials violate rules on military retirees and the use of military rank and uniform. The group charges that Seroka violates a Joint Ethics Regulation that says retired military members may use their military titles but must clearly indicate they are retired.

Seroka’s campaign manager, Jim Ferrence, called it a “strange claim” to make about the use of “retired” in campaign materials. Seroka has “steadfastly insisted we use retired every time,” Ferrence said, ticking off mailers, billboards and T-shirts.

“What he’s claiming to want to see is exactly what it says,” Ferrence said. “On absolutely everything we’ve ever produced.”

The red, white and blue logo on Seroka’s campaign materials reads “Colonel Steve Seroka for Las Vegas City Council,” with a small, blue “Ret.” sitting inside the corner of the white “A” in his last name.

Seroka, who spent 30 years in the Air Force, hopes to unseat Councilman Bob Beers in a June 13 runoff election.

The Veterans in Politics email also contends Seroka is violating a Department of Defense regulation prohibiting wearing a uniform “during or in connection with furthering political activities…”

An frequently-used photo on campaign materials shows Seroka in a green jacket. Ferrence called it a green “windbreaker” and acknowledged it “invokes something.” He added that with a white T-shirt underneath, the photo does not fit the definition of being in uniform.

Seroka campaign mailers sent ahead of the April 4 primary show that photo, surrounded by six medals and a bronze star, set over the backdrop of a fighter jet. A quote is attributed to “Col. Steve Seroka.” The flip side is a letter to Ward 2 voters that includes a line about his retirement as chief of staff at Nellis Air Force Base.

Some materials, including the campaign website, show photos of a young Seroka in uniform.

“It doesn’t stand to reason that we would want people thinking he is active duty,” Ferrence said, because active-duty military personnel are prohibited from holding public office.

Beers said questions about Seroka’s use of rank and uniform have been floated since he announced his candidacy in January.

Contact Jamie Munks at jmunks@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0340. Follow @JamieMunksRJ on Twitter.