Yesterday Picon wrote about Mayor Lawson and his two buddies who are getting, yet again, a contract with the City of Sparks to help carry the Truckee Meadows Public Land Management Act being sponsored by U.S. Senator Jacky Rosen.

The City of Sparks' latest moves raise serious questions about governance and the allocation of public resources. At the center is Mayor Ed Lawson's decision to award two $80,000 contracts to familiar consultants - a move that deserves scrutiny not just for its cost, but for its broader implications.

The February 24, 2025 Sparks City Council meeting agenda includes a notable consent item (#8) proposing $160,000 in consulting contracts related to the Truckee Meadows Public Land Management Act. The proposal would award $80,000 each to SB Strategic Consulting Inc. and Barrett Resources for public outreach services.

Yes, Sparks Councilmember Donald Abbott's Valentine's Day cards for seniors is a sweet gesture. For five years, he's brought smiles to seniors' faces - for one day.

But what about the other 364 days when our seniors:

• Choose between buying groceries or medicine

• Face eviction notices because they can't afford skyrocketing rent

• Eat substandard meals from Washoe County Human Services Agency

• Battle isolation and depression

• Return to work because their fixed incomes aren't enough anymore

Microwave another bag of popcorn, folks. Sparks Mayor Ed Lawson is back on Facebook, and he's brought his signature mix of confusion, complaints, and unintentional comedy, at the expense of the residents of Sparks.

Remember when Alexis Hill swore up and down during her 2024 campaign that she wouldn't raise taxes? That promise had a shorter shelf life than milk left in the sun.

Hill spent three years, 2022, 2023, and 2024, playing political dodgeball with fire regionalization, we now know why - she was waiting until after reelection to drop the tax bomb. State Senator Skip Daly's email spells it out: your wallet is about to get lighter.

A crucial meeting about regionalizing fire services is scheduled for Thursday, February 6, 2025, at 8AM between the leaders of Reno, Sparks, and Washoe County. While the early meeting time may limit public participation, the potential financial impact on residents demands attention.

Mayors Hillary Schieve (Reno), Ed Lawson (Sparks), and Commission Chair Alexis Hill are collaborating with State Senator Skip Daly on a fire services regionalization plan that deserves closer scrutiny. The timing raises questions, as all three jurisdictions face significant budget deficits for 2026.

At the January 21, 2025, Washoe County Board of Commissioners meeting, Commissioner Mike Clark highlighted a striking contrast: the county hired over 300 new employees in 2024 while simultaneously facing what Our Town Reno reports as a $27 million budget deficit in 2026.

When contacted for comment, Clark offered to provide documentation from Washoe County explaining the rationale behind these hires. The county's defensive stance raises questions, particularly given County Manager Eric Brown's October 2024 warnings about reduced funding for the 2026 budget due to stagnant or declining tax revenues.

In 2012, Washoe County witnessed the consolidation of the Truckee Meadows Fire Protection District and Reno Fire Department, fall apart.

For years, political candidates campaigned fervently for regionalization, emphasizing the potential cost savings that could be realized through consolidating not just fire departments but also law enforcement, parks and recreation, and even the formation of a unified regional government.

Fast forward to February 6, 2025, where the City of Reno, City of Sparks, and Washoe County are once again embarking on the journey towards regionalization, specifically focusing on improving fire services. Interestingly, while the City of Sparks has demonstrated transparency by openly listing the meeting on their website, the City of Reno and Washoe County remain notably silent on the matter.

With the City of Sparks budget deficit, it seems “the powers that be” are hoping to avert layoffs due to lack of funds. The Sparks City Council on Monday will vote on Agenda Item 9.2 to establish a Voluntary Employee Separation Program not to exceed $2,200,000 from the general fund and $1,000,000 from all other funds, thus proving the City of Sparks is “Wishin’ and Hopin” that they have a whole bunch of interested employees saying goodbye.

But what about all that institutional knowledge that will be exciting the front door? Will Sparks become Washoe County Government who’s crack team can’t get a senior a hot meal?

Oh, the political theatre …

Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the City of Reno's latest performance, where our starring trio – Mayor Schieve, Councilmember Reese, and Interim Manager Bryant – delivered an Emmy-worthy display of municipal make-believe. With a whopping 1,024 YouTube views, this December 4th spectacle proved that bad theater isn't just for community playhouses anymore, you can see it at this City of Reno Council meeting with no ticket needed.

Picon literally laughed out loud last week when Nevada Secretary of State Cisco Aguilar came out with his “Electioneering” Memo – how about way too little way too late. We have simply been to busy this week until today to get to this story.

For weeks there were signs outside polling location that were printed with “Vote for Democrats” and no one was turning them in, people were posting photos of the sigs on social media asking where they were coming from but no one was getting them taken down because they seemed not to know who to complain to. Next time folks go to the Washoe County Registrar of Voters.  

Recent campaign finance reports paint an interesting picture of Councilmember Dahir's September 12th fundraiser. According to the October 15th Nevada Secretary of State filings, local developers and special interests apparently found their checkbooks more easily than actual Sparks residents.

Picon is having a hard time understanding what the heck Councilmember Donald Abbott is talking about.

Abbott was called out by a Sparks senior because the City of Sparks didn’t participate at the Senior Spectrum Senior Fest on September 3, 2024.

Picon reached out to the City of Sparks and Senior Spectrum and learned that more often than not the City of Sparks has had a table at the event.

Picon thinks $15 for a margarita at the Nugget Rib Cook off is basically highway robbery, and $5 for water. Since COVID the prices at the Rib Cook Off have gone rib high.

So, Sparks Mayor Ed Lawson... Where do we even start? This guy's mayoral skills are about as impressive as a participation trophy. It'd be funny if it wasn't so frustrating for Sparks residents who barely voted him in back in 2022. You'd think scraping by would make him step up his game, but nah – he's doubled down on the chaos. Enter: The Facebook drama.

In Sparks, the city council's latest performance was less about civic duty and more about damage control. On Monday, July 22, 2024, Mayor Lawson played agenda Jenga, removing key items faster than a magician's sleight of hand, one has to wonder: Is this transparency or just making things conveniently opaque?

Picon found the comments made by Troy Regus during public comment at the Washoe County Board of County Commissioners meeting today interesting.

Well, well, well. Looks like we've stumbled upon the secret recipe for political success in Sparks: a dash of cronyism, a sprinkle of lobbying, and a heaping helping of taxpayer money. Who knew?