Sunday fundraiser for governor cancelled

A Sunday fundraiser for Gov. Jim Gibbons re-election campaign in Minden has been canceled by the organizer.

The governor's chief of staff, Gardnerville resident Robin V. Reedy, issued a statement Thursday canceling the fundraiser.

Reedy said that she disagrees that the fundraiser could be in violation of the Hatch Act.

But because of wide media attention, there could be a complaint if someone she had authority over ended up attending the event.

"Out of an abundance of caution, I will be canceling the event I had planned to host this Sunday," she said. "Although I am guaranteed constitutional rights to participate in the political process, I do not want further distraction from the good work state government is accomplishing each day."

The Hatch Act prevents state or local employees from being candidates for public office in a partisan election, use their authority or influence to affect the results of an election or directly or indirectly coerce contributions from subordinates in support for a party or candidate, according to the U.S. Office of Special Council.

The Hatch Act does not prevent someone from contributing money or attending fundraisers, nor does it prevent someone from actively campaigning for public office.

Reedy said her invitation to the fundraiser was to people she'd regularly corresponded with over the years, and was not intended to be broadcast to the media.

"An innocent invitation to groups and individuals with whom I have regularly interacted for many years in my private capacity has led to the media broadcasting this event to the world," she said. "That action by the media could, in fact, lead to an unknown attendee being a person over whom in my public capacity I may actually have authority and influence, setting the stage for a potential Hatch Act complaint."