District to Audit Ely’s Expenses, Phone Calls : Gambling: The board member allegedly used college district phones to call Las Vegas casinos.

Members of the Ventura County College Board of Trustees said Saturday that they will hire an independent auditor to review district telephone records and expense reports of board member Tom Ely, who allegedly used the telephone from his college district office to call Las Vegas casinos last year.

Board member Timothy Hirschberg said that once the auditor’s investigation is completed, the board will consult with county counsel before deciding what action, if any, to take against Ely, who has allegedly incurred large gambling debts in Nevada.

Hirschberg said college district phone records show that Ely made several calls to casinos in Las Vegas last year.

“We want to reassure the public that we are taking care of their money and that it is not all going to casinos,” Hirschberg said, referring to the phone calls.

Board member Pete Tafoya said that board members had made trips to conferences in Las Vegas and Reno during the last two years and that the calls could be “related to district business.”

Hirschberg said the board decided to drop plans to call a special meeting Tuesday to talk with Ely about his situation. He said he and three other board members who attended a weekend planning session in Simi Valley decided to wait until the auditor’s report is completed, probably before the board’s next meeting April 3.

Ely, who is a candidate for a county supervisor seat, did not attend the weekend retreat. However, he issued a statement to the board Friday night concerning the gambling allegations against him, admitting some debts but saying that his losses have been greatly exaggerated by news media.

Hirschberg said Ely stated that he and his wife had been involved in a traffic accident last January and had been under “heavy medication” while gambling in Las Vegas.

“If he was under medication, and he says that was the cause of his gambling--that’s unfortunate for him,” Hirschberg said. “We are all sorry that he has personal problems, but we have to look after the district first.”

Ely criticized board members for talking to the press about the allegations without consulting him first.

It was recently disclosed that Ely owed $3,000 to the Edgewater Hotel and Casino of Laughlin, Nev., and that he was sued last month by the Golden Nugget in Las Vegas over $8,000 in alleged debts.

Ely at first denied owing any money, saying he had paid the debt to the Laughlin casino in cash. Nevada police said Ely paid the debt only after he was threatened with arrest.

A law enforcement source told The Times last week that Ely had incurred about $40,000 in gambling debts at a number of Las Vegas casinos and hotels in addition to the Laughlin casino, including the Aladdin, the Dunes and the Sands.

The 54-year-old Simi Valley resident said Saturday that some of the information reported in The Times was incorrect but declined further comment.

Ely has said he will remain in the supervisorial race to represent the 4th District, which includes Simi Valley, Moorpark, Somis and Santa Rosa Valley.

Hirschberg said he had not contacted Ely about the gambling allegations. But he said the board had “encouraged him to come forward with an explanation.”

“We hope an independent investigation will be the appropriate forum for this process to take place,” he said.