LAS VEGAS - Political mover and shaker Mark Brown is ending his brief career at Station Casinos, the company that hired him in August 1999 to enhance its political profile.
He achieved that goal, but not in the way he expected.
Brown in March masterminded the anonymous mailer targeting Clark County Commissioner Lance Malone, a mailer Malone blames for his crushing defeat in the September GOP primary.
Brown, the gambling company's executive vice president of government affairs, said Friday he is leaving for personal and family reasons. He said he was not fired, and he was not afraid gambling regulators would reject his bid to be licensed.
''It was my decision,'' he said.
In September, Station Casinos paid a $475,000 fine to settle a complaint the Gaming Control Board filed against the company over the political mailer, which made news because it didn't identify who paid for and sent it, as Nevada law requires.
The mailer, titled ''You Just Can't Trust Lance Malone,'' depicts a cartoonish Malone, pockets filled with cash, underneath the caption ''No, yes, no, $$, oh, okay, I'll vote for that.'' Malone originally told Brown he would vote against a casino project in the southwest valley.
Administrators with Station Casinos, the dominant force in the locals gambling market, were furious when Malone did an about-face on the project and provided the deciding vote in its favor.
Brown and Station Casinos have a civil case pending that challenges the constitutionality of that law. Attorney General Frankie Sue Del Papa is suing Station Casinos, Brown and consultant Tom Skancke, seeking fines of $5,000 each for their roles in the mailer.
After initially denying any involvement, Brown and Skancke admitted in April they were responsible for the mailer that mocked Malone's trustworthiness. The Gaming Control Board's complaint alleged Brown lied to his bosses about his role in producing the flier and lied to the FBI, and also tried to politically blackmail Malone.
Brown, who worked for The Howard Hughes Corp. for five years as its government affairs liaison before joining Station Casinos 14 months ago, said he will start a consulting business to focus on government affairs and real estate.
Station Casinos Chairman Frank Fertitta III issued a statement Friday saying Brown has made ''significant contributions to our company and was a tremendous asset to the senior management team. It is his personal decision to leave and we have the utmost respect for Mark and his decision.''
About three weeks ago, the Gaming Control Board activated Brown's background investigation to be licensed as a key employee. His Missouri investigation was further along, he said.
''I'm confident at the end of the day I would have been licensed in both states,'' he said.
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