The Picket Fence of Privacy

Picon realizes we are going to get slapped around the block for this question, but the candidate and his family has opened the gate on our path of inquiry. Ultimately, it is the job of the media to ask uncomfortable questions about medical issues of political candidates in order to uphold the principles of transparency and accountability in government.

We have been pondering an article due to Sparks City Council Member Kristopher Dahir taking the time to write an opinion published in the Reno Gazette Journal and avoiding any mention of his health. Then a few days later his wife pushed out a text message last night asking for help with the campaign. We were sent this text from ten different readers stating: “But people keep asking how they can help Kristopher since his tumor diagnosis/surgery and there is one very practical way. It’s campaign season and Kristopher has two competitors for his city council seat, so we really need the people to hear about him. We have 10,000 campaign flyers that need to be handed out to our ward and Kristopher just does not have the physical capability to walk like that these days. So we need to pull in people who can.”

Dahir and his wife, Melissa, made a commercial for his surgeon. Picon saw the commercial playing on KTVN during Face the State two weeks ago during a Sky Tavern interview. A television commercial featuring a candidate and his wife advertising for a surgeon during a primary campaign?

Dahir, underwent surgery for a benign brain tumor in 2023, the City of Sparks made the announcement on December 27, 2022.

In 2015, former Reno City Councilmember Neoma Jardon, ran for office and bravely fought breast cancer, did so publicly, gained great respect and caused a groundswell of awareness around this horrific disease. Remember the RTC bus?

We question, was Dahir planning on walking 10,000 doors in his ward this weekend to drop literature? We don’t know a single candidate at the peak of health who would be able to accomplish that task. Is this then a strategic ask?

We want to remind candidates they need to think about how they push a message. Once the message is pushed it is next to impossible to live behind the picket fence of privacy. You opened the door to the questions.

Picon also lives by the creed “there but the grace of God go I” and we wish the Dahir’s only the best on this health journey.