WHEN PEP RALLIES AREN’T ENOUGH: IT’S TIME FOR DONALD ABBOTT TO GO
Donald Abbott, the member of the Sparks City Council for Ward 1, seems to think of himself as the Mascot of Sparks, the Head Cheerleader for the City, the Boy Wonder who was the youngest person ever elected to the Council (as he never tires of reminding anyone who will listen).
But as Abbott runs for his third term — a fact in itself that argues for tighter term limits — it’s clear the Boy Wonder (er, Councilman Abbott) hasn’t done the work behind the scenes to warrant another four years. With him, it’s been too much rah-rah, not enough hitting the books.
Here’s a quick summary of his report card:
The crime rate in Ward 1 is the highest in Sparks. Graffiti defaces buildings everywhere. Small businesses lose out on redevelopment dollars; many are simply closing (despite Abbott’s cheerleading about leading an economic recovery).
And housing affordability continues to hit seniors the hardest. (Councilman Abbott lives at home with his elderly mother, so you’d think he’d be especially attuned to senior issues, but apparently not.)
Why you should vote for his opponent
Christine Garvey, who is running against Abbot, has solid ideas for fighting crime, working with local businesses, helping seniors, and reducing quality-of-life offenses like graffiti that contribute to blight and a general feeling of unease.
Garvey is driven by data, not pep rallies, and she is a formidable opponent for Abbott. She was only 689 votes short of beating Ed Lawson for Mayor of Sparks in 2022.
Perhaps it’s Garvey’s strength as an opponent that convinced Abbott to enlist his friend Nicolas Lee, whose wife the Councilman appointed to a Sparks advisory committee, to enter the race as a seemingly fake candidate.
Fake? The evidence suggests it. Only a few days from the primary, Lee has no campaign flyers or signs or a website (a few social media posts don’t count). He hasn’t held a campaign event. According to state records, he has raised no money — $0! — this election cycle.
Have you ever heard of a real candidate not raising money?
It seems the only reason Lee is running is to draw away votes from Garvey, a fellow Republican, making it easier for Abbott to secure a third term as the prom king of the Sparks Political Establishment.
Some would say Abbott’s move is smart politics. That it’s not illegal (though it certainly stinks of unethical). But what does this sneaky strategy say about the Councilman.?
It says he can’t stand on his record (such as it is). It says he doesn’t trust the voters. It says he thinks the election is a coronation, not a contest. The grade for all that? Donald gets an F.