Governor Appoints New Gaming Control Board Member

Governor Jim Gibbons announced the appointment of Mark Lipparelli of Las Vegas to the Nevada Gaming Control Board. Lipparelli presently owns a technology development company specializing in technology, marketing, and finance. Lipparelli’s professional past includes 4-years as an Executive Vice-President at Bally Technology in Las Vegas, 2-years as President and Vice-President of Shuffle Master, Inc. in Las Vegas, as well as various positions for Casino Data Systems in Las Vegas. Lipparelli also served 5-years as a Research Analyst and Securities Analyst for the Nevada Gaming Control Board starting in the late 1980’s.

“Mr. Lipparelli has the perfect background and experience to continue the effectiveness and efficiency we have on the Gaming Control Board”, Governor Gibbons said, “His energetic attitude and excellent work ethic will be valuable assets for the Board.”

“I will use all of my experience to work with the other members of the Nevada Gaming Control Board to protect the Board’s reputation as the premier gaming oversight agency in the world,” Lipparelli said, “I am proud that Governor Gibbons has chosen me for this essential position.

Lipparelli will fill the seat of Mark Clayton. Clayton’s term expires January 1, 2009. 

Governor Gibbons Challenges Claims of Lt. Governor’s Office

Recently, much attention has been paid to Governor Gibbons’ efforts to fill the vacant position of Director of the Nevada Commission on Tourism. The Governor considers this position absolutely vital in view of the dire economic crisis Nevada faces and our state’s reliance on tourism.

After waiting for more than three-and-a-half months for the Nevada Commission on Tourism (NCOT) to present him with a list of three qualified applicants for the NCOT Director position, Governor Gibbons announced his intention to appoint Mr. Kirk Montero to the job. Mr. Montero is of Latino heritage and has more than thirty years experience in the tourism and hospitality industry.

Governor Gibbons stated, “I stand behind my belief that Kirk Montero would be an effective and excellent head of NCOT. I am frustrated by the fact that it is taking so long to appoint a Director for NCOT in light of the fact that tourism is so vital to our state and now almost four months have gone by without an NCOT Director and there is still no one at the helm at NCOT.” Gibbons continued, “I believe Kirk is uniquely qualified for this position because he has intimate knowledge of visitor travel patterns into our state and we need someone to head the NCOT that can hit the ground running, we need someone for that position that has hands-on experience, not a Harvard MBA.”

Comments have come from the Lt. Governor’s Office suggesting Mr. Montero’s application was not filed on time. Specifically, a staff member in the Lt. Governor’s Office has publicly stated that Montero’s application was filed 10-days late. Governor Gibbons’ Deputy-Chief-of-Staff Mendy Elliott personally hand-delivered Montero’s application to the Lt. Governor’s Office long before the application deadline.

Gibbons also said, “It also appears that some of the members of the NCOT Board have turned their marketing attention toward Asia, as well as other areas of the world that are not our primary markets for tourism. In light of our current world wide recession, I believe strongly that these efforts are a waste of taxpayers’ money. I have also learned that during a trip to Asia paid for, in part, by NCOT, which included Lt. Gov. Brian Krolicki and the NCOT's previous Director, not all participants attended all business meetings during this trip. While many people in our state are suffering during this difficult economic time, it seems unconscionable that such wasteful spending can be allowed.”

There has also been public discussion of the possibility of combining the Nevada Commission on Tourism and the Nevada Commission on Economic Development. “If it is in the best interest of our state to combine Tourism and Economic Development, that is what we will do’” Gibbons said, “The days of wasted taxpayer dollars are over and that is the reality of the situation."

Governor Demands Accountability Of Tax Money
Spent By Tourism Commission
 

Governor Gibbons has learned that during a state sponsored trip to China, Lt. Gov. Brian Krolicki spent his time on pursuits unrelated to promoting tourism in Nevada, such as sightseeing and shopping and did not attend scheduled meetings.

Governor Gibbons stated, "We have business we can cultivate in our own backyard, California has one of the largest economies in the world and we need to focus our attention there,” Gibbons continued,” I understand that there is potential business from around the world for Las Vegas, Reno and rural Nevada, but during this worldwide recession we need to be realistic and vigorously pursue attracting tourists who reside closer to Nevada.” Gibbons also noted, “As the world’s economy improves we can adjust our efforts to cultivate tourism to our state from key markets around the world, but we have to pay attention to what makes sense now, and what makes sense now is trying to attract tourists who don’t have to travel so far to get here."

"Further, I feel ashamed at how Kirk Montero, a respected citizen of our state, has had his name dragged through the mud because Krolicki now has stated that Montero’s application for the position of Director of the Nevada Commission on Tourism was not sent to the correct department, even after my Deputy Chief of Staff is on record as hand delivering his application to the Lt. Governor's Office prior to the deadline,” Gibbons said, “Mr. Montero is a very decent intelligent citizen who deserves a hell of a lot more respect than what he has gotten from Mr. Krolicki."

Finally, Governor Gibbons said, "Certainly I stand behind the Nevada Commission on Tourism’s decision to exclude Mr. Montero from the search process, but Mr. Krolicki would be better served if the truth were on his side.”