Former North Las Vegas official to face ethics commission
North Las Vegas’ former city manager Ryann Juden will face the state ethics commission over a complaint that he sought a contract or employment through the use of his official position.
A review panel determined there is sufficient cause for the full commission to render an opinion on whether there has been a violation of the state ethics law.
As the Las Vegas Review-Journal first reported in December, the North Las Vegas City Council on May 1 approved a three-year, $630,000 consulting contract with Juden. Juden had quit his job as city manager and his last day was mid-May.
On April 1, Juden forwarded the consulting contract that the council would later approve to then-city attorney Micaela Moore, according to an email obtained by the Review-Journal through a public records request. On April 25, city clerk Jackie Rodgers flagged for Juden that the contract would be on the agenda for the council’s upcoming meeting, as well as a contract for Moore to be promoted to the city manager’s position, another email shows.
The Nevada statute at issue prohibits a public officer from using his office to seek other employment or contracts for himself or any person to whom he has a commitment in a private capacity.
The backup information for the contract agenda item states that the city “has requested that the Consultant provide such expertise in rendering certain management, public affairs, leadership development, labor relations, public affairs, strategic communications, policy analysis, and advisory services.”
The contract is broad in scope without listing deliverables. It states that the consultant will “work with the City Manager, the City’s senior management team, Mayor, and City Council on matters relevant to North Las Vegas.”
The contract was part of the council’s consent agenda, a batch of ostensibly routine items approved in a single vote without any public discussion. The agenda item does not mention Juden by name, instead listing a company he formed in January 2024, Edge Strategies.
Councilman Richard Cherchio later said that staff had not briefed him on the item, which he described as unusual. He also said that the contract ought to have appeared on the council’s business agenda, where items are publicly explained by staff and discussed by the council and the public.
A former city employee, Pamela Dittmar, previously told the Review-Journal that she filed a complaint with the commission against Juden over the contract.
Dittmar stated in the complaint it “appears highly inappropriate” that Juden was “using his former position in government to secure a contract with North Las Vegas.”
The city last year paid Juden nearly $1 million: roughly $675,000 in severance, $137,000 in salary, $97,000 in unused vacation and sick pay, and $85,500 in consulting fees.
The total of $994,400 is more than double the $453,900 he earned in 2023 from the city, where his base annual salary was about $300,000.
Elected city officials, who have described Juden as a transformational leader and a friend, said last year they believed Juden would be instrumental in continuing the city’s progress.
“I don’t want to lose that momentum that we have now,” Mayor Pamela Goynes-Brown said in an interview.
Juden said at the time it is not uncommon for a former government manager to get a government contract, and this can be an efficient way to do business.
“I’m humbled that they still find value in me,” he said.
He did not respond to a request for comment Thursday.
Contact Mary Hynes at mhynes@reviewjournal.com or at 702-383-0336. Follow @MaryHynes1 on X. Hynes is a member of the Review-Journal’s investigative team, focusing on reporting that holds leaders and agencies accountable and exposes wrongdoing.
