MARY BALDASANO / Special to the PVT Laurayne Murray, Democratic Assembly District 36 candidate, speaks at a recent Rotary-sponsored Job Connect session for new and prospective businesses in the Pahrump area. Advertisement

Nevada Assembly District 36 candidate Laurayne Murray should have abstained from Pahrump Town Board actions that might have resulted in a greater benefit to her husband than any member of the general public.

That's one of the conclusions in an opinion requested by Murray from the Nevada Commission on Ethics. Murray testified before the commission March 6. Murray's husband, Tim, is vice-president of International Association of Firefighters Local No. 4068, which represents the Pahrump Valley Fire and Rescue Service.

"Whenever the matter of the collective bargaining between PVRFS and the town of Pahrump comes before the town board, the commission advises Ms. Murray to disclose her interest and abstain," the commission concluded.

The opinion referred to a previous ruling pertaining to two Douglas County school board members who had spouses who were school district employees.

"Essentially, in negotiations, Mr. Murray sits across the table from the Pahrump representative and the Pahrump town attorney. The Pahrump representative and the town attorney conduct informative meetings with the town board where matters concerning the ongoing labor negotiations are discussed," the opinion stated.

"Although nothing in the record suggests that Ms. Murray has breached her duty of confidentiality, Ms. Murray's participation in confidential meetings discussing the ongoing labor negotiations with the IAFF while Mr. Murray is on the negotiation team would, at the very least, give the appearance of impropriety."

The commission recommended Murray abstain from participating in closed meetings with the firefighters union. When the issue of collective bargaining between the town and the fire and rescue service comes up in front of the Pahrump town board, she should recuse herself, commission members decided.

When asked for a comment, Murray said she never sat in a closed-door meeting of the town board and was face to face with either her husband or any other members of the firefighters union. There were always negotiators representing each side, like Pahrump Town Manager Dave Richards and former town attorney Christina Hinds or, later, human relations consultant Larry Beller.

"The Nevada Commission on Ethics substantiated all my actions were appropriate with the standards of the law," Murray said.

Murray said she sought an attorney general's opinion herself when she first took her seat on the Pahrump Town Board, to determine whether she had a conflict of interest.

Murray said she requested opinions from town attorneys before acting on fire department matters. She said campaign members of her opponent in the District 36 race, Ed Goedhart, have been harassing her about a perceived conflict of interest.

"That's been an issue they've been bringing it up since 2003. They haven't been able to prove I did anything wrong. The opinion reflects that," Murray said.

However, Pahrump Town Board Vice Chairman Ron Johnson, who requested an ethics opinion that expired after 45 days, said, "You don't sit in on a negotiation between the town and the fire department where your husband works at all."

Johnson emphasized he wasn't interested in just saying something negative about Murray to the press. But he said the question of ethics needs to be cleared up. Johnson said he commented for the record that previously he felt extremely uncomfortable with Murray sitting in on the discussion.

"Officials should recuse themselves or certainly not attend a closed meeting," Johnson said. "This is not myself versus Laurayne Murray. This involves what is right and what's right."

Johnson said Murray opened herself up to the ethical debate just before the election by agreeing in a candidates forum to make the ethics commission opinion public.