The Clark County Audit Department recommended that the county file an ethics complaint against itself. 

Why? 

In an audit report released last week, the department found that the former head of Clark County Juvenile Justice Services began working for a vendor with a multimillion-dollar contract with his agency just 12 days after he was terminated, running afoul of rules requiring departing staff to observe a "cooling-off period." 

John "Jack" Martin left county employment on Aug. 31, 2023, and began working at Tyler Technologies — which provides case management software to the department and other county agencies — on Sept. 11, 2023. Martin, who was not directly named in the report, was listed as a "formal petitioner" on the request to increase the Tyler Technologies contract with the county by $8.8 million in June 2023, and the audit stated that as an agency director he had "significant input on the awarding of contracts to this vendor." 

"A public employee violating the cooling off period and accepting employment with a contractor may lead to conflicts of interest, loss of proprietary information, and potential legal or reputational damages," the audit report read. "It could also appear to be a kickback for awarding the contract, which is why this type of situation is prohibited."

Martin was fired from his position in 2023 after a county-issued report found he created a toxic work environment and used racial slurs and disparaging terms against teenagers he oversaw.

Martin told a Nevada Independent reporter in a LinkedIn message that he did not have oversight over any contract with Tyler Technologies while working for the county. 

"I am not sure what you are being told, but Directors have very little input on contracts," Martin said. His LinkedIn lists him as a client executive for Tyler Technologies. 

In another message to The Indy, Martin disputed the timeline in the audit report.  

"I was under investigation for my 'wrong doing' from April 2023," Martin said via LinkedIn message, later saying he was not an "authorized spokesperson" for the company. "Why would County management allow me to testify on issues involving large sums of money while under investigation?" 

Tyler Technologies' response to the audit findings, which were also included in the audit, said the company did not recruit Martin, nor were they aware of any "employment restrictions" when they hired him. It also said that the original contract with Clark County had been created seven years before Martin's dismissal, and that the company had no involvement with the nearly $9 million contract extension. Lastly, it said Martin works closely with the sales and marketing team and does not have access to Clark County's data or case management system. 

In an email to The Indy, Clark County officials confirmed that they have formally submitted an ethics complaint to the Nevada Ethics Commission.

"Ethics laws prohibit employees from seeking employment with organizations they may have worked to contract with during their public sector employment prior to a cooling off period," Jennifer Cooper, a spokesperson for Clark County, said in an email. 

Before his termination as juvenile justice director, Martin allegedly referred to Black children as "Pookie and Ray Ray," a disparaging term for Black men, according to reporting from 8 News Now. He also kept chocolate shaped like male genitalia in an employee freezer, according to a report from Clark County.

Aside from recommending that the county submit an ethics complaint, the report suggested that a clause be added to future county contracts saying that vendors working with the county must comply with "Nevada Ethics in Government law." Though county employees undergo regular ethics training, there's no similar requirement for vendors working with the county.