In five years as county manager—August 2001 to August 2006—Reilly created an efficient operation, deftly managing a municipal entity with a $5.8 billion annual budget, 12,000 employees and responsibility for 1.8 million people.
So he wasn't being cocky when he told the Weekly in an October 20, 2005, cover story, "I could leave here and quickly have another job."
And maybe he was telling the truth when, in the same story, he said, "I'm not sure I want to do this the rest of my life.”
He could've been county manager of Orange County, California, but turned it down. He could've pressed for a larger raise granted via a secretive evaluation process, but opted for a three-percent increase and a public evaluation. And damn if he didn't inject pragmatism into the bizarro world of local governance, telling the Weekly: "There's no way government can figure out how to solve air pollution, traffic, rapid growth, child abuse. To pretend we can is shortsighted.”
And this quiet and quietly effective leader did all this while obtaining universal support from the seven county commissioners—in contrast, his predecessor Dale Askew was bullied into early retirement. Plus, he avoided career-killing fallout from the corruption indictments of former commissioners Dario Herrera, Erin Kenny, Mary Kincaid-Chauncey and Lance Malone, the forced removal of flighty county recorder Fran Deane and commissioner Lynette Boggs McDonald's is-she-or-isn't-she-a-resident quandaries.
His work didn't go unnoticed by Nevada System of Higher Education Chancellor Jim Rogers, who hired him in August to lead the Health Sciences Center, the goal of which is to improve health care and health care access in the state. A month into the gig, Harrah's Entertainment came knocking and Reilly answered.
And no, he says, money wasn't the main reason he hopped to Harrah's.
You've joined a growing list of elected officials who've gone from the public sector to the casino industry—former Clark County Sheriff Jerry Keller is vice president of security for Wynn Resorts; former mayor Jan Jones is vice president of communications and government relations for Harrah's; former mayor Ron Lurie is general manager of Arizona Charlie's. Are government jobs simply career pit stops to gaming gigs?
I don't think so. I'd never thought about working for a casino before. Jan Jones approached me about the job. It was attractive. It lets me use my background in local government and combines that with my interest in social services.
Your last day at the county was August 17 and, up to Friday, you worked as vice chancellor and chief operating officer of the University of Nevada Health Sciences Center. When's your first official day at Harrah's?
On October 9. But I'll still be with the foundation board for the Center and involved in helping with the direction of the program.
Did you get University of Nevada Health Sciences Center business cards and stationery? If so, what are you going to do with them?
I did get business cards, but I didn't get any stationery. I'm not sure what I'll do with them since I won't be needing them anymore.
Is it true this position was created just for you?
It's a new position that's a combination of several positions. Harrah's has always had its charitable foundation and had individuals involved in philanthropy. We're just reformatting some of the programs.
Harrah's doubled the salary you were getting from the center. Was the job change strictly about the money?
Compensation wasn't an issue. I've worked in state government, in social service programs, in welfare services and in child welfare programs. One of my degrees is in social work [he has doctorate and master's degrees in public health from the University of Southern California and a master's in social work from Arizona State University.] So this job allowed me to marry my experiences. The second part that attracted me was that it gives me national and international experience.
So you're prepping for future employment on Capitol Hill? Your skills could be used up there.
Not at all. Harrah's has properties in 13 states and is looking to do things internationally [the company is expected to close in the fourth quarter on its $530 million offer to buy London Clubs International; after losing out to Venetian owner Las Vegas Sands Corp. for Singapore's first casino, Harrah's is bidding on a second site]. This job gives me a different venue to address the government and social service programs the company is already involved in.
Your title at Harrah's will be vice president of community reinvestment and social responsibility. What will your job entail?
I will be overseeing community reinvestment efforts, as well as working with Harrah's charitable foundation. I will work with local governments and state regulatory boards and will look at social service programs and how we can fund them. Nationally, we work with groups such as Meals on Wheels and will continue doing so. We'll also look at getting Harrah's involved in national issues like health care; things like targeting the uninsured.
So you'll also be a lobbyist?
This has nothing to do with lobbying. We'll be looking at the company's foundation and its charitable wing to make sure we're making an impact.
Finally, where to after the Harrah's gig?
I hope this is the last stop. I left the county to go work with the University of Nevada Health Sciences Center not because I was unhappy but because it was an opportunity. The same with Harrah's—it was just an opportunity. If the offer had come earlier, I would've considered it earlier.