EDITORIAL: New county manager should emphasize transparency

Clark County government — perhaps the most powerful public-sector entity in the state, including the Legislature — has a new leader. Let’s hope he appreciates the value and importance of accountability and transparency.

On Tuesday, the Clark County Commission voted unanimously to elevate Kevin Schiller from deputy manager to manager. He will be in charge of overseeing 10,000 employees in one of the nation’s biggest counties, which includes the Strip, Nevada’s economic engine.

Mr. Schiller, who came to Southern Nevada in 2017 after serving as an executive in Washoe County, will replace Yolanda King, who will retire next week. His three-year deal calls for him to be compensated handsomely with a base annual salary of $297,000, a $24,000 yearly expense account and healthy monthly stipends for his vehicle ($600) and his “wellness” ($500).

“He’s highly regarded by everybody,” Commissioner Jim Gibson said of Mr. Schiller.

The new manager certainly faces many challenges — fiscal, organizational, political, etc. — that come with being put in charge of a large taxpayer-funded bureaucracy. And foremost among them might be the temptation — far too prevalent in the public sector — to prefer the shadows to the spotlight. That would be a mistake.

The county has had a series of high-profile oversight lapses in recent years involving the coroner, the Henderson constable, the public defender’s office and the public administrator — the latter who now sits in a jail cell on a murder charge. County officials wasted thousands in taxpayer dollars by greenlighting legal challenges that for years sought to block access to certain autopsy reports. In the past, they have attempted to keep secret the details involving calls made on taxpayer-funded cellphones. They have slow played or refused to comply with public records requests.

Mr. Schiller can make it clear that he expects better from those managing or supervising various county departments. He can set an example by emphasizing that taxpayer service and accountability must be at the forefront of county policy and decision-making.

Open government is vital to a healthy democratic republic. Corruption thrives absent the disinfecting power of sunlight. Mr. Schiller’s success as Clark County’s chief executive will, in no small part, be measured by how well he and those in his charge respect vital laws surrounding public records and government transparency.