Regents decline Knecht’s proposal
RENO — A move by a regent who won an election last year against an opponent heavily funded by Chancellor Jim Rogers failed Friday to force Rogers to disclose such contributions in the future.
The proposal, although falling one vote short of the seven needed to pass, raised questions voiced by some regents about the influence Rogers wields over the body that oversees the state’s universities and colleges as well as Rogers himself.
Regent Ron Knecht initiated the proposal after Rogers, who has donated thousands of dollars in Board of Regents races in recent years, donated $20,000 last year to Knecht’s opponent, David Fulstone. Fulstone lost the election.
The donations were made through Rogers’ company, Sunbelt Communications, and two television stations owned by Sunbelt, KENV-TV in Elko and KRNV-TV in Reno, according to Fulstone’s campaign records.
Knecht wanted Rogers and other university system executives to notify regents within 48 hours of making a donation of $1,000 or more.
Knecht didn’t mention Rogers’ name during Friday’s discussion and didn’t bring up his own personal race against Fulstone.
But he alluded to Rogers, saying that when a donor "controls certain corporate entities … (or) owns a string of TV stations" and masks contributions under those entities’ names, it is difficult for a candidate to tell where the money comes from.
Rogers chuckled during the comment, but didn’t say anything. However, after the discussion, he said he didn’t have a problem with Knecht’s idea.
Rogers donates frequently to regents’ races, but his contribution to Fulstone’s race was far more than he has donated to any regent in a single campaign.
Five regents have accepted donations from Rogers in the past five years — Mark Alden, Stavros Anthony, Cedric Crear, Thalia Dondero and Dorothy Gallagher.
The contributions, ranging from $500 for Anthony’s campaign in 2002 to $5,500 for Dondero’s campaign the same year, are relatively insignificant compared to the money regent candidates raise during campaigns. Most of the successful ones raise from $50,000 to more than $100,000 through contributions and personal loans.
By comparison, the chancellor’s donations to Fulstone were more than 30 percent of the money the candidate raised.
The donations pose a possible conflict for regents. But none of the five regents who have accepted campaign contributions from Rogers said they had solicited the money from him, and all said the money did not influence their roles as regents.
"I’ve known Jim Rogers for 30 years," said Gallagher, the longest-serving regent on the board. "I’m with him when he’s right and against him when he’s wrong."
Of the five regents, only Anthony voted in favor of Knecht’s proposal. Gallagher abstained and the rest voted against it.
"The more disclosure there is for the public and the regents, the better," Anthony said. "I thought, ‘Why not?’ "
Crear said the proposal wasn’t under the regents’ jurisdiction.
"I really don’t have any idea why we’re talking about this issue," he told his peers. "I’m perplexed. We need to be talking about issues that affect the Nevada System of Higher Education."
Rogers has contributed money in the last five years in his own name and his and his wife’s name, but most often through Sunbelt.
Rogers said he gave $20,000 to Fulstone because he had known him when Fulstone was head of the foundation board at Desert Research Institute.
He said he decided to contribute to regents’ races because "I want them to get out there and let their story be told."
Regents raised questions about when a donor would be required to report the contribution.
Regent Steve Sisolak, who voted against the measure, said the window should be longer than 48 hours so that the candidate receiving the donation would have more time to turn it down.
He also questioned what penalties there would be if a donor didn’t disclose the contribution.
Regents chose to have the issue brought to the Board of Regents Development Committee for further discussion later this year.
