Nevada Code of Judicial Conduct
Commentary Canon 2A
B. A judge shall not allow family, social, political or other relationships to influence the judge’s judicial conduct or judgment. A judge shall not lend the prestige of judicial office to advance the private interests of the judge or others; nor shall a judge convey or permit others to convey the impression that they are in a special position to influence the judge. A judge shall not testify voluntarily as a character witness.
Is it proper for Karl Neathammer, the founder and member of the Burke Consortium, a "political action committee" to ask for FREE use of public buildings for their political agenda? Is it proper for a pro tem judge to approach the committee with a scratch your back, and I'll scratch your back mentality? Clearly, it is advancing the private interests of the judge or others. It is not proper.
Guy Farmer at the Nevada Appeal wrote an insightful description of the Burke Consortium:
"Closer to home, the Burke Consortium -- a shadowy front for certain local officials and commercial developers -- tried to fool the voters by claiming that the sale of the Fuji Park fairgrounds would be good for our city. But the voters didn't buy what Burke was trying to sell, and defeated Carson City Question 1 by a comfortable 54-42 percent margin.
That "small, militant special interest group" invented by the Consortium turned out to be the local Board of Supervisors, City Manager John Berkich and their developer friends. Supervisors promised to follow the will of the people. Let's hold them to it."
http://www.nevadaappeal.com/article/20021110/OPINION/211100201
Complete with smoke and mirrors, the Burke Consortium appears to be the secret government of Carson City.
