The IVGID Board of Trustees convened on February 14th to address various agenda items, including proposed expenditures, community initiatives, and potential personnel decisions. Among the topics under scrutiny is the proposed engagement of McDonald Carano, a law firm, for a fee of $50,000 to review policies concerning restricted access beaches in Incline Village and IVGID Beaches.
The specific parameters of this review remain ambiguous, prompting questions regarding the necessity and scope of the proposed expenditure. Given previous indications of board members’ support for changes in beach access policies, namely, IVGID Staff no longer receive beach access as a benefit of employment, concerns arise regarding the underlying motivations driving this proposed engagement.
Criticism has been directed at the Board’s apparent propensity to allocate resources towards legal and consultancy services rather than prioritizing investments in community amenities such as beaches, Diamond Peak, and the Recreation Center.
An additional dimension of scrutiny pertains to the potential conflict of interest stemming from the involvement of Joshua Hicks, an attorney associated with McDonald Carano, in representing Trustees Sara Schmitz and Matt Dent in previous personal matters. Documents filed by Schmitz during a recall campaign indicate Hicks’ previous legal representation of the Trustees, raising questions about the appropriateness of engaging the same law firm for IVGID-related matters. See the items below.
The proposed engagement with McDonald Carano prompts concerns within the community regarding transparency, ethical considerations, and adherence to governance standards. Stakeholders seek clarification from Trustees Schmitz and Dent regarding their past and current affiliations with Hicks and McDonald Carano, as well as assurances of impartiality and accountability in board decisions. You can hear this discussion starting at the 1:14:37 mark.
It is important to note that Trustee Dent did disclose that he worked with McDonald Carano in a personal capacity related to the recall. (Disclosure made at the 1:22:32 mark)
Trust Schmitz remained silent on the subject.
Community members anticipate clear and forthcoming responses to address lingering uncertainties and uphold public trust in governance proceedings.
Documents provided by the Secretary of State’s office related to the attorney hired to represent Trustees Sara Schmitz and Matt Dent:
