Beadles Bucks ... Go Ahead and Take the Money
No one ever asked where they got their donations from before.
Picon started this article weeks ago, yet we were stalled because public records finally began to trickle in. Hence, one thing led to the other and we were busy crafting requests in order to get additional records to finish other investigations. All we can say now, is if you think the RGJ does investigative journalism, just wait, and see!
We put Beadles on the backburner, but then he and Washoe County School District Beth Smith became a four-alarm fire.
Picon Googled, “who is the biggest villain in history,” and it served us Adolf Hitler, Saddam Hussein, the Wicked Witch of the West, Nero, Hannibal Lecter, Darth Vader, and Osama bin Laden, talk about a rogue’s gallery. Not on the list, Robert Beadles. It is okay Jon Ralston, vex away, we hear Beadles doesn’t care. In fact, he tells people he is “living rent free” in everyone’s heads.
Perhaps Google missed Mr. Beadles because Google doesn’t live in Washoe County. People may be forgetting the 51% rule, but after all the hubbub about county commissioners “living” in their district, we don’t expect anyone to really know where someone lives.
According to everyone (politicians, “journalists”, elected officials, high level bureaucrats in local municipalities, political pundits, campaign managers, developers, special interests, and lobbyists- not us normies) Beadles is the “man who must be stopped,” a man to be feared, who is trying to buy Washoe County. A Californian (one of 250,000 who moved to Nevada from California between 2015-2019 according to Census Bureau estimates- Thanks again, Jon) who has come to Reno to take over, thus getting his way, and doing exactly what?
That is the 24-caret gold question that no one seems to be able to answer. What exactly is this guy’s mission, why is he spending millions of dollars in Washoe County, and what will he be getting out of it. What happens if Beadles is exactly who he says he is a businessman by day and a family man who cares about kids and election integrity by night?
Some of the biggest movers and shakers in the region, life-long Republicans, are now turning against their own and hosting events for Democrats in order to keep Beadles from getting power. What power? The power to not institutionalize homelessness through county ordinance? Or do we mean the power to call out creepy politicians after they creep and harass staff? The blasphemy!
The fact of the matter is the media we all once thought was honest, eats Beadles up because they get eyes, clicks, readership, and more people click on the stories about him. The true obsession is that Washoe County residents just want to know more about Robert Beadles.
Picon doesn’t understand the whole power thing when it comes to Beadles and what super secret initiative he is after. We’ve asked people to explain it to us and they say, “People don’t want him to have more power.” What power? Who are the people that want to stop him from getting imaginary power? What do they not want their power clouded? In our mind Robert Beadles has spent a whole lot of money on a whole lot of campaigns and we’re not sure he’s gotten his money’s worth. If it were Picon, we might be asking for a refund, or at least a return on our investment.
The Nevada Secretary of State Contribution and Expense Report shows $255,007.00 in contributions from the Beadles family (Robert, his wife Nicole, and son Aaron.) When we looked at Coral Bay (and we didn’t pull out the In-Kind to The Franklin Project) the Contribution and Expense Report shows $1,679,927.
We have seen a shift in who is contributing to who, especially with some of our local “Republicans” who are supporting candidates like Clara Andriola and Kristopher Dahir. These are candidates, who are not recognized as Republicans due to their voting record and support for opposing party candidates, enjoying dollars from unlikely sources. Support from some of the biggest players in Republican politics, to include Western Nevada Supply’s Rick Riviglio. His coveted ‘who to vote for list’ is reportedly shared with friends and clients, when he isn’t chumming it up with the boys to decide who should run for what seat next. The question Picon asks is will Reviglio and the boys be supporting Democratic Commissioner Alexis Hill, who he gave a breakfast fundraiser for instead of the three Republican challengers, one being Marsha Berkbigler who he once supported. Is this to negate Beadles’ support?
There is a full on ‘campaign’ to shame any candidate who accepted, or might dare to accept, money from Robert Beadles. The suggestion has been made that said candidates give the contributions back. How? And why?
Picon calls hogwash. It is important to remember that in the world of politics, money talks. And sometimes that money comes from people we many not necessarily see eye to eye with. But fret not, for a contribution is just that – a contribution. It does not necessarily mean that a candidate is endorsing every single belief held by the contributor.
This suggestion of monetary refunds comes from Washoe County School Trustee, Beth Smith who is running for reelection. Beadles commented on Operation Sunlight and Smith volleyed with a statement calling upon candidates who accepted funds from Beadles to give his contribution back. Is Smith suggesting the candidates pull money out of savings, their 401(k), get a payday loan, borrow it from a family member, give a whole lot of blood, eat Raman for several years? Is Ms. Smith so obtuse as to not realize some candidates don’t have an extra $5,000 or $2,500 to pony up. Or is she polluting the pond so that 2024 candidates cannot take money from Beadles, hence limiting funds to run their campaign? This a form of reverse shaming, letting voters know they shouldn’t support a candidate only because they dared to take money from someone on the unapproved list.
This made Picon ponder, when did big money become the norm in School Trustee Campaigns? From our time spent on the Nevada Secretary of State Contribution and Expense Reports it seems the big dollars came round in 2015/2016. At the same time as the Save Our Schools initiative, you know the sales tax increase, with no sunset to pay for new schools and maintain and repair what we’ve got.
Picon harkened back to the beloved and somewhat controversial School Trustee, Howard Rosenberg, who initially ran his campaign for a whopping $13,471. Fast forward to 2022 and Appointed School Board Trustee Adam Mayberry spent $92,295, while his opponent attorney Graeme Reid spent a paltry $29,320. We’re unable to find out how much money Mr. Mayberry spent on billboards, media advertising, printing, and such because the monies were paid directly to his campaign management firm, Reach Plus. You can view exactly what Mr. Reid spent, how transparent.
Picon doesn’t want to pick on Mr. Mayberry, so we took a gander at School Trustee Joe Rodriguez and Beth Smith, both candidates who won their races in 2022. Mr. Rodrguez, who was also initially appointed spent $63,834 and another initially appointed Trustee Ms. Smith, spent $82,911.
Melaine Sutton, who made it to the general election against Mr. Rodriguez, shows to have spent $15,632. Ms. Smith won in the primary, so she didn’t have a general election; however, the Washoe County Registrar of Voters screwed up and put her primary opponent Mr. Hitti, on the general election ballot, making life even more confusing. Mr. Hitti spent $26,795, and Ms. Smith’s $82,911 was spent for a primary race only. Do the math folks, for three school board races, six candidates spent $310,787. Candidates who dared to accept money from Robert Beadles spent $71,747 with Mayberry, Smith, and Rodriguez, all appointed trustees with the gift of incumbency, spending a whopping $239,040. Now who should be ashamed?
While perusing the SOS C&E Reports we took a look at the former School Trustee’s initial campaigns.
Dave Aiazzi spent $806
Angie Taylor $24,548
Malena Raymond $32,133
Debie Feemster $6,330
Veronica Frenkel $23,596
Nick Smith $11,433
Katy Simon-Holland $51,244
We then looked at who gave to Mayberry, Smith, and Rodriguez and found their list of donors far more interesting than Robert Beadles.
The monies donated to Adam, Beth and Joe is a who’s who of Washoe County elite, we just scribbled a few down, not each of these businesses/individuals gave to each candidate – we just wanted you to get the overall look of who contributed.
Carrara NV (lobbyists), Stonegate (developer), Michael Dermody (commercial developer), Peppermill Casino Resort Spa, Savage and Son (plumbing contractor), S3 Development (Blake Smith of Somerset), Q&D Construction, Clark and Sullivan (construction/contract for Nevada Cares Campus), Associated General Contractors, United Construction, SWD Partners (developers), Golden Road Motor Inn (Atlantis Casino Resort Spa), Western Nevada Supply (plumbing contractor), Grand Sierra Resort, Bob Lissner (Lifestyle Homes/developer), and the Reno Sparks Association of Realtors.
Look at School Trustee Beth Smith’s Contribution and Expense Report filed in January 2024, the time she is prepping for the 2024 race. Keep in mind the money she spent in 2022 was only to fulfill a two-year stint, completing the four-year term she was appointed to, so $82,911 for two years.
Ms. Smith now reports in 2024, $67,201 in contributions. Some hailing from Grand Sierra Resort, McDonald Carano (law firm), Q&D Construction, Sandy Raffealli (Bill Pearce Motors, Inc.), Elaine Lissner and Cassadee Lissner (Lifestyle Homes), S3 Development (Blake Smith/developer), Martin Harris Construction (Las Vegas Nevada), Artisan Group (developer). We wonder if all of these people would pass the morality test for Ms. Smith had they been as public with their beliefs as Robert Beadles has been.
By trying to shame candidates to refund Robert Beadles money, or dissuading campaigns from accepting money from him, one might ask Trustee Smith if she is accepting special interest dollars. What is the overall attempt here, to keep candidates out of races because they can’t self-fund or raise funds. Or is the super-majority of progressive Democrats the only self-anointed and approved voices for our children?
The next time someone tries to shame a candidate for accepting a contribution from someone they disagree with, simply respond with a touch of wit and a sprinkle of charm. Remind them that political campaigns are not cheap, and candidates need all the financial support they can get.
While we will defend Trustee Smith, Rodriguez, and Mayberry’s right to take campaign contributions from all of the folks we have listed, and anyone else they so choose, we will also defend candidates who take money from Robert Beadles. The campaign being run now to return funds is wrong, we need more candidates to step up and run, and if they can’t find funding how can they run?
We ponder if Smith, Rodriguez, Mayberry could have self-funded in 2022, and would they have?
Joe Rodriguez spent $63,834 in 2022 to run for Trustee, and now he has decided in 2024 to run for Sparks City Council against Ward 5 City Councilmember Kristopher Dahir. While we understand Joe’s motivation in removing Dahir from the council, we question what will occur if Rodriguez is elected. Another appointment? Following what we have seen with appointments, at least hold a special election.
The late Bob Cashell, businessman, Lt. Governor of Nevada, Nevada System of Higher Education Regent, and Mayor of Reno used to suggest spreading the wealth around. Meaning money would be given to the frontrunner/incumbent, but a smaller check would be cut to the challenger, because “in politics you just never know.” Those types of contributions have evaporated. When we talked to an individual who ran for Washoe County Commissioner in 2022, she said, “I met with people who I had worked with for five years, and they told me they couldn’t give me a contribution because they needed the incumbents vote. Basically, they didn’t dare.” An elected told us, “I was told they couldn’t contribute but once I won, they would catch me up. Now they say, they understand that I can’t win in 2026 so no catch-up money. My comment is, if I do win, where will that leave them.”
What is the answer? Thanks to term limits this type of continuation of political power should end, but it isn’t due to appointments. Special elections need to be held and thus the gift of incumbency goes away. The voters in Washoe County, City of Reno, and City of Sparks need to elect their government, not have them appointed.
Picon suggests, when it comes to politics, when in doubt, just smile and wave – the ultimate weapon against political shaming. Just wait, maybe Picon will have enough time to post a step-by-step tutorial on how to look up who your local politician is funded by. Thank the 1st Amendment that it is public record.