Yvonne Atkinson Gates, once the chairperson of the Clark County, Nevada, Commission, an elected office, also operated her own daiquiri business. Many of the new and expanding hotels in Clark County, where Las Vegas is located, have retail space available for shops and restaurants. Ms. Atkinson Gates, as a commissioner, made decisions on whether proposed hotels and expansions would be approved.

Ms. Atkinson Gates approached executives from five casinos about leasing space for her daiquiri franchises. Ms. Atkinson Gates acknowledged the contacts but stated that they "were made in passing and cannot be considered solicitations." \({ }^{54}\) She acknowledged actually seeking an arrangement with MGM Grand Resorts.

Sheldon Adelson, the then-chairperson of Las Vegas Sands, Inc., said, "I was shocked, absolutely shocked that Yvonne would come to me directly. I felt she was pressuring me to agree. And when I didn't, I think she went out of her way to vote against my project." \({ }^{" 55}\) Adelson wanted to build a Sands Venetian Mall, but his proposal was not approved by the commission.

Upon its investigation of the matter, the Nevada State Ethics Commission found that Ms. Atkinson Gates had violated Nevada's rules of ethics for elected officials in her conduct with businesspeople regarding her daiquiri business. The Ethics Commission ruled by a five-to-one vote that she had used her position to obtain business concessions. She resigned as a Clark County Commissioner in early 2007; she did not complete her term that was slated to run until 2009. Despite the ethics reprimand, she had served as a commissioner for 14 years. She was a superdelegate to the 2008 Democratic National Convention.

Discussion Questions 1. Is there a common thread in the two situations of personal gain? What is different about the Gates scenario and those of the Birmingham officials?
2. Why are the trappings of success so important to some people and not others?
3. How do you think the gifts from bond firms to elected officials began?
4. What is the impact of corruption and bribery on governments and citizens?