STEVE SEBELIUS: ‘A very serious issue’: Scarlet letters prompt donor’s ire

Three letters have really angered Stephen Cloobeck.

Three really big, red neon letters.

Cloobeck, the timeshare mogul famous from his appearances on “Undercover Boss,” was a huge supporter of renaming McCarran International Airport for the late former U.S. Sen. Harry Reid.

And by huge, I mean $2.7 million in donations huge.

But then Cloobeck saw the conceptual design renderings of the airport’s signs. And there behind the stately “Harry Reid International Airport” were the big, bright, red neon letters “LAS” with a bright yellow neon star.

It’s a total Las Vegas touch, and it reflects the International Air Transport Association code for the airport, no matter whose name is on the outside.

But to Cloobeck, it was a betrayal of the very idea of the renaming.

“They changed the entire logo from what it was at the dedication,” said Cloobeck, who was close with Reid. “I don’t think it’s respectful to my adopted dad.”

And Cloobeck made his displeasure known to Clark County commissioners and county staffers in a series of angry texts, calling them out for a lack of oversight, for ignoring the wishes of donors and for adding to the Reid name. Some of the texts got personal.

“That’s not what was approved,” Cloobeck said. “They have a serious issue with a duty of care. A very serious issue.”

The people at the county agree there’s a serious issue, but with Cloobeck’s anger-texts. The messages prompted the district attorney’s office to send Cloobeck a cease-and-desist letter on Sept. 16.

“It has been brought to my attention that you have been directly contacting members of the Board (of county commissioners) and certain other County staff via repeated text messages to their respective cell phones,” wrote county counsel Lisa Logsdon. “I am further informed that several of the messages are aggressive, inappropriate in nature and have caused some recipients to feel threatened.

“Going forward, refrain from contacting County management and staff regarding official matters through texts directly to their cell phones,” Logsdon added.

Cloobeck denies wrongdoing. “There’s nothing that was said that was threatening at all,” he said. “When I say something, it’s a promise. I shoot missiles across the bow, which is very unusual for people.”

Indeed, he does. Cloobeck has been accused of anger-texting before: In a 2021 Vanity Fair story about his bitter breakup with a much younger OnlyFans model girlfriend, she alleged harassment via text message and phone calls. “I will never stop until I see justice,” he wrote to her in a text. (Cloobeck says the matter, which went to court, was settled to his satisfaction.)

Cloobeck also texted me, complete with photos: “No LAS at the (renaming) dedication. Don’t like my hard earned money used for purposes not approved. We all ‘donors’ expect a duty of care for our charity dollars. This has a stench to it that we haven’t seen in along time,” he wrote.

Clearly, he’s unhappy. And it’s not just because he’s given so much money, either. In texts and in conversations, Cloobeck peppers his conversations with references to his “dad,” by which he means Reid. He even provided a video in which the late senator sent Cloobeck a birthday greeting, saying their families had adopted each other.

Cloobeck insists that Reid would be repelled at the sign, although Reid’s style — quiet, ruthless pressure behind the scenes — is the opposite of Cloobeck’s in-your-face assault.

Still, the county doesn’t believe the letters are a big deal. “At the end of the day, the issue was the name change, and we’re getting that done,” says one county official, who asked not to be named. “We’re making progress, and we’re very happy.”

Although Cloobeck’s $2.7 million certainly helped get the county closer to to its updated budget goal of $7.7 million — the project is being done without taxpayer dollars — the official says that’s where it ends. “That doesn’t mean he gets to design the signs,” he said.

Cloobeck begs to differ. And while his texting has abated since the Sept. 18 letter, his feelings have not. He says the question — what’s the big deal? — can be turned around on county officials: If it’s not a big deal, why not remove the “LAS” letters and save donors the cost?

Either way, neither those letters nor a letter from the district attorney is stopping Cloobeck from his loud quest to preserve the legacy of somebody he sees as a surrogate father.

Contact Steve Sebelius at SSebelius@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0253. Follow @SteveSebelius on Twitter.