Thoughts 25 Apr 2007 04:14 pm
Yvonne Atkinson Gates
I pulled this picture from the Las Vegas Weekly Web site.
George Knapp is going to have a special on our local CBS affiliate on Thursday, titled the house that Gates built.
Evidently our former county commissioner has built a house costing over 1 million dollars and Mr. Knapp seems to feel that there is something shady about Ms. Gates. I can’t say I really know her, but I know a couple of her defenders quite well and even they are skeptical about her business dealings.
Clark County documents show that:
Built By Yvonne, a design firm owned by Clark County Commissioner Yvonne Atkinson Gates, would build a custom 7,700-square-foot home in Summerlin for Dr. Raj Chanderraj.
Chanderraj is with a doctor’s group that Atkinson Gates had voted to award a lucrative UMC contract - without disclosing the conflict of interest posed by her design firm’s side work with the doctor.
The county records show Built by Yvonne as the contractor in spite of her saying the Doctort hadn’t made up his mind yet.
A letter has since been sent, amending the paperwork to read Dr. Raj Chanderraj, owner/builder.
LAS VEGAS Las Vegas police are investigating whether former Clark County Commissioner Yvonne Atkinson Gates illegally enriched herself with political contributions.
The Las Vegas Review-Journal says police are looking into whether Atkinson Gates hired her son and his future wife only to have them return some of their pay to her.
Gates’ name came up during the “G-Sting” political corruption trial. Michael Galardi testified he hoped Gates would drop a proposed law that would hurt his strip club business after he gave her husband, Judge Lee Gates, a $10,000 check and $10,000 in cash.
Galardi also testified that he heard Gates say “$100,000 would make any problems go away”. Galardi did not pay that money. But the proposal that was eventually passed was more strip club friendly.
She also helped friends get concessions at the airport.
This could just be some sort of smear campaign, but I doubt it.
Everything I heard in private conversation with people who know her was non-specific, but looking at the facts, the rumors and the circumstances of her resignation, I’d say she was in all probability, a good old fashion small town crook.