By All Means, Dress Down for the Sparks Council Meeting …
Picon ponders Councilmember Donald Abbott’s casual attire at the Sparks City Council Special Meeting on November 15, 2024.
Good gosh we had to hear about Sparks City Councilmember Kristopher Dahir’s responsibilities as the chair of the Northern Nevada Public Health (NNPH) Board and now we learn Dahir can’t make his last “elected” board meeting due to scheduling issues? What scheduling issue? Why didn’t it come up at the last NNPH board meeting? Or is Dahir simply embarrassed that he lost the race and is leaving without the sorrow of a long goodbye.
We’re hearing it could be due to the former Lakemill Lodge who were tossed out by NNPH with little or no plans as to where resients would live when the health department shuttered the hotel. The residents were forced to leave their belongings behind by NNPH and now some of those units are open and items are missing. What no security NNPH? No plan? Residents are planning on asking questions and that might be at this NNPH board meeting, thus might Dahir be looking to avoiding the publicity.
City of Sparks Special Meeting November 20, 2024.
There has to be a Sparks City Council Special Meeting to appoint one of Mayor Ed Lawson’s two remaining “good old boys,” in this case Paul Anderson, to the NNPH.
Kristopher Dahir’s social media post.
Dahir posted on social media at the National League of Cities he was able to sit in on a session on “budgeting principles and then some ideas on Smart Cities.” Why? He is no longer a Sparks City Council Member so how does this aid any residents of Sparks. Councilmember Dahir can spend city money on his “last hurrah” at the NLC Summit for five days but can’t make the last meeting of the Northern Nevada Health Department.
Charlene Bybee social media post from the National Leagure of Cities Summit.
Sparks taxpayers paid for Dahir to be eating, drinking, and looking for a new opportunity (AKA job) last week in Tampa Bay at the National League of Cities Summit. Dahir took his wife with him for their last vacation on Sparks taxpayer’s wallets. While Dahir paid for his wife’s air travel we ponder if he paid for any portion of their hotel stay the City of Sparks is footing the bill for. This reminds us of the travel City of Reno Councilmember Miguel Martinez took and then repaid money to the city after being called out by media.
Picon was amused Charlene Bybee just had to say “thanks” to Kristopher Dahir at the Sparks Special Meeting on November 15, 2024, for his eight years on the city council and the work he was doing back at the National League of Cities.
Dahir and Bybee “working” at the National League of Cities Summit.
We wonder if Mayor Lawson and Bybee rehearsed the exchange to tee up Mayor Lawson so he could say, “Do you have anything Dina?” Lawson then all but forced Dian Vanderwell to thank Dahir for the “last four years and all the work he has done for the city.” Vanderwell has not served all eight years with Dahir on the dais.
Lawson knows, Vanderwell encouraged and recruited Joe Rodrigues to challenge Dahir. If Rodriguz had not run for the office, Dahir would have walked back into his seat.
Sparks will have a new councilmember on November 25, 2024, who has no allegiance to Mayor Lawson, unlike Paul Anderson and Donald Abbott. Making the City of Sparks a far more interesting council to watch in 2025. And we hope Councilmember Abbott dresses up on for the next council meeting.