Weekly Editorial Recap

Thursday

Shed no tears for Erin Kenny.

Everyone knows what justice awaits a bank robber who walks off with $400,000.

But all Kenny did for that amount is sell out the public trust to willing buyers. So who’s hurt? The public who thought the zoning codes would protect them from retail development on residential streets? Public confidence that obeying the law doesn’t merely make us “suckers” who haven’t yet figured out who to pay off?

Shall we measure the cost the next time someone tries to hand a hundred dollar bill to a fire code inspector? The next time an out-of-state developer hits town and starts throwing around cash on the assumption you do business here the same way as in Nigeria or Zaire?

(Wednesday) morning, U.S. District Judge Kent Dawson sentenced former Clark County Commissioner Erin Kenny to 30 months in prison. Four years ago, Kenny pleaded guilty to wire fraud, bribery and conspiracy and agreed to cooperate with federal prosecutors in exchange for a reduced sentence.

She’ll have to pay $200,000 in fines and forfeitures — about half of her known bribery take. …

For four years, the greediest commissioner has been allowed to enjoy the lifestyle that kind of bribe money can buy — at the same time she’s drawn a total of nearly $1 million from homebuilder Jim Rhodes to serve as his local government “consultant.” In between her bouts of remorse, she and her husband bought a million-dollar home in an exclusive Summerlin neighborhood. …

Thirty months isn’t too much. When it comes to discouraging the next Erin Kenny, does anyone think it’ll be enough?