Ethics commission reports backlog cleared but struggles to fill associate counsel post

The Nevada Commission on Ethics on Nov. 13 reported improved case timeliness and a small active caseload from prior years, but also told commissioners it has been unable to fill an advertised associate counsel vacancy. Executive Director Ross Armstrong said the commission has whittled its stale caseload: “When you became our executive director, we had a huge, huge backlog ... he came in there and started cranking them out,” a commissioner said in gratitude; Armstrong noted there are only two outstanding cases filed in calendar year 2023 and five active cases from fiscal year 2024. Armstrong told the commission the associate counsel recruitment has produced no applicants since the prior meeting and that salary competitiveness and Northern Nevada recruiting challenges may be factors. He described the associate counsel classification as equivalent to a deputy attorney general (DAG) level position, and said a governor-led compensation and reclassification study could lead to re-titling and pay adjustments in the governor’s recommended budget, which will be released before the 2025 legislative session. Armstrong also presented an updated case log (confidential and redacted public versions) showing most older cases have been completed and that current processing times are timely; he recommended the commission continue monitoring whether all fiscal-year cases could be cleared by the end of the next fiscal year. The commission approved its proposed 2025 meeting calendar with one amendment to resolve scheduling for January; several commissioners noted a January 15 conflict and asked staff to coordinate an alternate date by email. The commission also discussed making limited use of co-working or shared state office space for outstationed staff and the difficulty of training and onboarding attorneys remotely. No regulatory or policy changes were adopted at the meeting.