When you are NOT in the good old boys’ club
When Mike Clark showed up at the homeless encampment run by Washoe County, little did he know he was no Ed Lawson. Despite also being a member of the Community Homeless Advisory Board (CHAB), sitting commissioner Clark was threatened with trespass for showing up at the CARES campus without approval. Meanwhile, Ed Lawson was on Facebook, spreading mistruths about Clark and others while offering to take folks on tour even if the county will not.
Mayor Ed Lawson, from Sparks, offering to take a citizen on a tour of the CARES campus, while Clark cannot step foot on the property. Exactly who anointed Ed as the CARES campus tour guide and official water carrier is still being investigated, however, Picon is well aware of the secrecy surrounding the county's most expensive land use. Not long ago, the county’s favorite propagandist developer challenged anyone critiquing the CARES campus to go on a tour. When a retired local law enforcement executive tried to schedule such a tour, he was denied. The county cited the dangers of construction and suggested that if he were a donor he would be granted a tour.
Apparently, Mike Clark has not been shown the secret handshake and he will be given no such Lawsonesque treatment at the encampment or other county facilities. Not only is Mike Clark threatened with trespass for daring to stop in and see what $150 million is buying the County, he has been admonished for other indiscretions, such as stopping in to see the bougie office space the county was renting for Dana Searcy (homeless czar). Clark, interested to see what the county was spending big money on in a private office building, dared to engage in oversight. His mere presence at this office space resulted in a chiding from manager Brown.
We know the county is working very hard to ensure no outside eyes are put on their CARES campus. They will claim some privacy interests for the occupants, however there is one entrance and exit and that is public property. Anyone coming or going from the campus is subject to the eyes of the public and the cameras on every building adjacent to their tent. Apparently the county leadership has never seen Undercover Boss, a show that exposes what is happening when the boss isn’t around. We wonder, does the Health Department find that making an appointment for an inspection at a local restaurant as the best way to verify compliance?
When Grant Denton wanted Ed Lawson and Kris Dahir to tour his new modpods, the county was worried about photographs. No cameras! “They are really watching us on that,” is what the County’s mouthpiece was worried about. The email goes on to express concern about their homeless encampment being used by elected officials as a “prop” to bolster their campaigns. Odd, in the middle of an election cycle the county just dropped a video touting a couple of success stories at their encampment. Was that video timed to help Alexis Hill and Clara Andriola, two big supporters of the extraordinary spending on the homeless, or was that a coincidence?
Back to the focus of this story; tours, Ed Lawson claimed access, and Mike Clark being shut out. The last CHAB meeting was September 2023. The county decided to scrap the December meeting, instead, they held a ribbon-cutting ceremony with three ousted Republicans in the photo. No wonder Mike Clark missed the photo op, he would have been the only recognized Republican elected, surrounded by progressives. Their next meeting will not be until May 2024. That alone is shocking, no other issue is as pressing as the homeless crisis in Reno. We would urge all Picon readers to attend this meeting and express your concerns.
Image from Washoe County public website at the ribbon cutting in December 2023.
Picon supports transparency in government and the actions of Washoe County related to CARES has been anything but. Once again, Clark is maligned and labeled an “extremist” for merely wanting to conduct oversight and hold government to account. Might our elected officials reflect on their duty to serve the citizens and not themselves, maybe then we can step toward sound fiscal policy and transparent governance.