Sexual misconduct claims against Storey County Sheriff Gerald Antinoro loomed over a hearing Monday for Assembly Bill 397, which would enable the Nevada Equal Rights Commision to recommend the impeachment of elected officials facing accusations of sexual harassment.
Assembly Majority Leader Teresa Benitez-Thompson, who presented the bill to the Committee on Government Affairs, said the proposed legislation would help hold publicly elected officials accountable, especially at the local level. In addition to applying to state officials, the bill provides a mechanism for removing local elected officials, such as county commissioners and sheriffs.
“This bill seeks to establish accountability for elected officials by giving Nevada Equal Rights Commission the ability to make a recommendation of impeachment when an elected official has demonstrated egregious behavior,” Benitez-Thompson said during her testimony.
The bill would permit the commission to present an accusation to a local grand jury if there was evidence that sexual harassment was “sufficiently severe” to warrant removing a local elected official. The commission would be required to hold a hearing before taking action.
Benitez-Thompson, a Reno Democrat, said such a process would provide recourse to staff and other subordinates who might currently feel conflicted about speaking out against their bosses.
“When a complaint is made against a local official, such as a county commissioner or a City Council [member] or a sheriff, a local entity’s human resources department is conflicted because that person is essentially their boss,” Benitez-Thompson testified. “A county manager or a city manager serves as an at-will subordinate to that elected. There can never be a remedy for the employee because there is no way to remove that elected person from office.”
