Gaming Commissioner Deborah Fuetsch resigning from board

Deborah Fuetsch, the lone Nevada Gaming Commission representative from Northern Nevada, has resigned from the five-member gaming regulatory board.

In a Tuesday letter to Gov. Steve Sisolak, Fuetsch praised him, Nevada Gaming Control Board Chairman Brin Gibson and former Chairwoman Sandra Morgan for their roles in keeping the state safe during the coronavirus pandemic.

“It has been a true privilege to serve the state as a member of the Nevada Gaming Commission for the past five years,” she said in her resignation letter. “When Gov. (Brian) Sandoval asked me to take on this role, I knew it would be a challenge like no other in my career. I truly believe I fulfilled my duties as a regulator with honesty, integrity and independence.”

Fuetsch, who retired in 2017 from her job as a senior vice president at Wells Fargo in Reno, was appointed by Sandoval in May 2016 and reappointed a year later. She filled a seat previously held by Michonne Ascuaga, who resigned in February 2016.

Fuetsch was committed to the commission through April 27 and after that date passed, “I re-evaluated things and decided I was ready for some new opportunities.”

She’ll have a one-year “cooling-off period” to wait out before getting back into the gaming industry, possibly as a consultant.

“I hope to get back in the industry somehow, I’ll have to see how it goes,” she said. “I love the industry, I enjoy the people and I think there’s so much happening right now and I think a year off for me is going to be good on a personal level to let me make some decisions.”

Fuetsch said she “tried to be honest and independent with a lot of integrity” in her role on the commission.

Sandoval was impressed with Fuetsch’s banking compliance background and her ability to crunch casino financials quickly.

“She was stellar, always well-spoken, always well-prepared, always very thoughtful,” said former Gaming Commission Chairman Tony Alamo, with whom she served for several years. “She’s going to be missed.”

Alamo said Fuetsch researched details and knew how to ask the right questions to get the information she needed for a licensing decision.

“If you’re going to be well-prepared and do a good job, it takes a lot of time and she put in the time,” Alamo said.

A timetable hasn’t been established by Sisolak to name a replacement.

“The governor’s office is in receipt of Commissioner Fuetsch’s resignation letter,” Sisolak spokeswoman Meghin Delaney said Tuesday. “The governor thanks the commissioner for her dedicated service to the state. We will keep the press and public posted on any new appointments.”

Contact Richard N. Velotta at rvelotta@reviewjournal.com or 702-477-3893. Follow @RickVelotta on Twitter.