On the record
14 articles filed under Councilmember Charlene Bybee
For years the rumor mill has insisted that Councilman Donald Abbott has his sights set on the Mayor’s office, even while publicly supporting Mayor Lawson. It’s all been political chatter — but Abbott’s recent post has people talking again. With term limits preventing him from running for Ward 1 afte
Read the articleThe Mayor of Sparks, Ed Lawson, took to social media to grandly proclaim that he doesn’t read us. And honestly? What a relie f. We’d hate for him to trip over the articles about his greatest hits—like his dream of a toll road, or the time he championed the Lands Bill while paying his buddies to lob
Read the articleCouncilmember Dian VanderWell seems to be the adult in the room. While everyone else was dazzled by the promise of blinking server lights and “tech jobs,” VanderWell was the one who hit pause and asked the question no one else seemed to: what exactly are these massive data centers doing to our city’
Read the articleAdam Mayberry wants you to know one thing: he’s not a career politician. At least, that’s the story he’s sticking to as he gears up for another run — this time in one of Washoe County’s reddest corners.
Read the articleWe get it. They love to call Picon hack journalism. Politicians and their entourage of pearl-clutching staffers practically salivate at the chance to wag a finger and shout, “biased!” or “irrelevant” - along with a number of PAC’s, political clubs, and organizations. And yet… they can’t stop reading
Read the articleSparks Mayor Ed Lawson never shies away from a good social media sparring match, and his latest post suggests he’s less than thrilled about termed-out Councilmember Charlene Bybee jumping into the mayoral race. His message? If Bybee wants his seat, she’ll have to do more than mimic his policies and
Read the articleWell, he’s definitely not overdressed for the occasion. A sharp-eyed reader sent us a gem from a recent baseball game: Sparks Councilmember Donald Abbott, shirtless and soaking up the sun with a friend. While the crowd was focused on home runs, Abbott was apparently working on his tan.
Read the articleThere are rumors swirling about mayoral candidates in the City of Sparks. Picon has received a number of messages from our readers pondering if Chris Garvey will do a 2022 repeat run for mayor and asking more about silently announced mayoral candidate Wendi Rawson who owns Engine 8 Urban Winery in S
Read the articlePandas Over People at the City of Sparks ??? While the City of Sparks drowns in an $18 million deficit, two city councilmembers somehow found it essential to jet off to Washington DC—with a special stop to snap panda selfies at the National Zoo. That's right. As the city offers early retiremen
Read the articleIn what can only be described as fiscal gymnastics, Mayor Ed Lawson delivered a somber State of the City address on February 24, 2025, while riding his motorcycle—because nothing says "we're in a budget crisis" quite like a mayoral motorcycle moment. Perhaps the motorcycle was necessary to
Read the articleSparks Mayor Ed Lawson is trying to shut down public records access with AB 51. Hiding behind the "National League of Cities" like a kid caught with his hand in the cookie jar. Don't be fooled—this bill has Lawson's fingerprints all over it. His brilliant idea? Nobody gets public records
Read the articleFormer Sparks City Manager Neil Krutz has finally filed his long-awaited lawsuit against Mayor Ed Lawson and Councilmembers Vanderwell, Bybee, Abbott, Anderson, and Dahir. After much anticipation, we expected a juicy complaint packed with explosive exhibits and salacious allegations. What did we ge
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