Reno Councilman Devon Reese Slapped With Two New Ethics Complaints

The Nevada Commission on Ethics is investigating Reno City Council member Devon Reese after an ethics panel found credible evidence that Reese violated two Nevada ethics laws. As the Globe reported in September 2022, following multiple ethics complaints, Reese was found to not have disclosed his business relationships with employee unions and did not recuse himself from contract negotiations with those groups or votes to approve those contracts.

In March 2023, Reese reached a deferral agreement with the commission if he had agreed to go to ethics training and did not have any ethics violations for two years.

With the latest ethics complaints against Reese, that deferral may be rescinded.

As reported by This is Reno:

The [ethics] panel unanimously determined on Sept. 17 that there is “just cause” for the commission to decide on the alleged violations. Reese is alleged to have violated NRS 281A.400(2), which prohibits using a government position to secure unwarranted privileges or advantages for oneself or others, and NRS 281A.400(9), which bars attempting to benefit personal interests through the influence of a subordinate.

The complaints were generated by citizens on March 18 and April 22, weeks after This Is Reno published a 10-part investigation into spending at Reno City Hall. The complaints were based on This Is Reno’s investigation.

The series was published in February and detailed how Reese spent city funds to attend a $21,000 training at the Harvard Kennedy School. His travel records also showed he added days to city-funded trips while charging the city for extra expenses. On one trip, he used city funds to pay for a rental car and drove 300 miles in it while staying at a hotel next to where the conference he attended was held.

Reese said he paid back any extra expenses, but city records showed no such payments.

Last year, Reese blocked The Globe on X (formerly Twitter). When The Globe asked Reese at a Christmas party why he had blocked us on social media, he replied that he didn’t use his Twitter account for campaigning or government business. The Globe then filed an ethics complaint, yet the Nevada Secretary of State found “no statutory violation.” Since their finding, a recent U.S. Supreme Court decision that determined “social media posts and curation efforts by government officials can be attributed to the state, and, therefore, subject to First Amendment scrutiny.” Therefore, blocking the press or constituents is a f0rm of unconstitutional censorship.

The Globe will file another ethics complaint and take related action in light of this ruling to ensure that Reese is held accountable to the press and his constituents.