CITIZEN WATCHDOG
CITIZEN WATCHDOG
1. The $$$million dollar taxpayer-funded Reno city hall propaganda machine (they call it community relations) is going to start a "Citizens Leadership Academy"... sending hand-picked surrogates who they plan to maneuver through the crooked system... until they can buy their way to "elected" positions.
Shades of '30s Germany...
Oh, and they are going to start spending more of our taxes on TV and radio ads to let citizens know how well city hall is doing. This to supplement their brainwashing ads in the Gazette.
19. De-javu all over again: Reno city hall huddled citizens into its chambers and told them to bend over to receive their "benefits". A huge taxation-without representation unilateral Assessmant was being levied against each of them... to protect them from train noise. Noise that they were not complaining about... just like the FAA/Reno Airport attack on innocent citizens in Rewana Farms 3 years earlier.
18. Only at Reno's un-Amerikan city council is pointing a finger considered "disruptive". Just what is it they are afraid to hear? Why are they afraid of the Truth? Why are those morally bankrupt bozos trying to silence citizens?
17. Citizens of Reno are guilty of "Battered Voter" syndrome... they act like battered spouses... refusing to recognize a bad spouse (city council).
16. Gambling in California? Indians should have the right to do what they want to do with their OWN LAND... period!
15. It is wrong for the Reno Air Races to be heavily subsidized by the federal government. This event is a private one (only the cats are allowed to benefit), and those military flyovers costs the TAXPAYERs $$$hundreds of thousands of dollars. Very exciting, maybe... but WRONG! The federal government (citizens) should be reimbursed from the Air Race's bloated coffers... otherwise it is downright embezzlement.
14. City hall is finally following Sam Dehne's repeated demands of a year ago... and removing the parking meters around city hall. Why should citizens have to pay to visit THEIR own government?
14a. Now let's "Lop the heads off" of ALL of the meters... so citizens can visit THEIR own downtown without being charged.
13. Mills Lane would not tolerate the quibbling by the various authorities responsible for the illegal "banana republic" style election that just took place in northern Nevada. When you do something blatantly wrong... like breaking the Voting Law (at least) 4,563 times... you are obligated to step to the plate and take your licks.
From his autobiography:
"Am I tough? Yes," said Judge Lane. "That is, if you're talking about being
not very tolerant of people who don't accept responsibility, who don't stand
up and be counted." But, he adds, "If you're thinking of someone who's going
to be hard-nosed and throw the book at everybody, that's not me."
Thus, according to his "qualifying comment", the local Voting Authorities (Washoe County Commission and their appointed Registrar of Voting) must immediately correct the recent blunder, or the "book SHOULD be thrown at them".
A very simple solution: Correct the illegal vote by sending Absentee Ballots to ALL voters who did not (get an honest chance to) vote in the election. Anything short of this would disenfranchise unknown thousands of voters... and that would be unacceptable.
12. About 20 years ago the Reno Airport confiscated land from innocent citizens in the Home Gardens area south of the airport... because (the airport demanded)... it was "too noisy". They used YOUR federal tax dollars to force these folks out of their homes because (the airport demanded)... it was "too noisy". Cowardly bullying at its devious worst.
Now the diabolical airport wants to build a golf course on the exact land that they demanded was too noisy for the innocent citizens to live on.
Golfers will be subjected to the exact same noise (that the airport demanded was too bad for the innocent homeowners)... so that the Airport can profit from their greedy scheme. Can there be any worse "noise" situation... than golfers meandering under the noise, danger and pollution of 100s of jets taking off?
And where do you think the illicit profits will go? Back into YOUR federal coffers; where they belong? NO! The Reno Airport is going to legally embezzle these funds into their coffers.
12a. Competing private golf courses should scream "Fore". The Reno Airport is using federal tax dollars to build and operate a competing golf course. Will the scheming and conniving ever end?
12b. Shouldn't the other airlines cry "foul" when the Reno Airport subsidizes Continental Airlines to the tune of $200,000? More "Corporate Welfare at its worst... but not as bad as the report above.
11. What law gives the Atlantis Casino the right to tear up the neighborhood for months... causing traffic jams, pollution, noise, and general nuisance to dozens of 1,000s of taxpaying citizens? If you tried to do it you would be arrested!
Check the records and you will find that Atlantis bribed the mayor with at least $4,000 (reported) to his re-election campaign just months before. Within 4 months he mayor then voted to approve the blightful expansion. Politics as usual in Reno, Nevada, USA.
When will the Golden Goose be completely fried?
Reno is your city, folks. When are you going to stand up and take it back?
10. Campaign Finance Reform?
According to official "Reno Mayoral Race" city hall campaign records and reports:
a. Jeff Griffin paid $93,000 (much of this consisting of tax dollars funneled from citizens' tax coffers directly to his campaign or indirectly to his campaign through his cronies) for his 13,300 votes... that's 7 DOLLARS per vote.
b. Sam Dehne paid $788 for his 2500 votes... that's 31 CENTS per vote.
Thus:
a. With Griffin's money and Dehne's ingenuity... at that rate Dehne would have gotten 300,000 votes.
b. Or on the other hand, with Dehne's money and Griffin's lack of ingenuity... at that rate Griffin would have gotten 110 votes!
Isn't it about time to start listening to all those people who swear there is something fishy about the ballot counting process in northern Nevada?
Virtually every government agency in the area is influenced and corrupted by the fat cat Special Interests (The Reno Citizen is full of reports on this mess). Therefore, it does not take a Rocket Scientist to conclude that these fat cats might very possibly have infiltrated... the bureaucratic organization that puts the corrupt people in power in the first place...
Some of the results of the recent races literally beg for an independent investigation...
9a. Notwithstanding the potential skullduggery... at 31 cents a vote Sam was a bargain.
8. Why did city hall nit-pick about a $25 campaign contribution from a stranger to Sam Dehne's $1241 war chest? Are they keeping such close tabs on the really huge contributions to the other candidates? What difference does it make anyway? City hall and the attorney never demand reports of huge Conflicts of Interest (or even disclosure) by the current mayor at council meetings anyway...
7. Airports are “deadly neighbors” according to the Summer issue of Earth Island Journal. They disburse pollution over surrounding communities: The article lists the toxins that rain down from planes. A physicist says “the pollution levels from one 747 take-off are somewhat similar to setting the local gas station on fire and flying it over your head.” (Click for more internet details)
6. Anybody who would want to be mayor of Reno... with Sam Dehne lurking out there... Watchdogging over corruption... must have a screw loose.
5. Terrorist attack "retaliation"... With all the Tomahawks missiles fired, it cost somewhere between $1 and $5 million per "terrorist" killed... not even counting operational expenses...
Does the U.S. government have any valid reason for an embassy in either of those 2 countries? Why not an internet site instead?
Does U.S. have any interests in that region that are worth this kind of extremely dangerous confrontation?
Did the prez confer with Lewinsky first?
4. What Reno government (and the Airport Board) lack... is a CODE OF HONOR.
3. Why do the Reno Sparks Convention Authority (RSCVA) Rules of Procedure require that a citizen at Public Comment... who makes personal, impertinent, or slanderous remarks... may be forthwith barred from future meetings? Freedom of Speech is every citizen's right... guaranteed by the US government.
This is a government body and, as such, it MUST abide by the United States Constitution's 1st Amendment right to Freedom of Speech.
Just who is going to decide what is "personal, impertinent, or slanderous"?
2. Why was Reno city hall afraid to agree to mandatory drug testing... the same tests their workers have to take? What kind of "leadership" is that? It's no leadership.
1. Reno city hall attacked the 1st Amendment again on 18 Aug... flat refusing to let Sam Dehne speak at Public Comment... the cowards. Who wants to try to defend that sleazy action?
1. Musings about the elitist Mayors Conference... or what's wrong with these pictures?
* Kouncilman Aiazi chomping on lobster and shrimp at taxpayers' expense... while the homeless... go homeless.
* Current mayoral imposter Griffin heading the M.C. Criminal and Social Justice Committee.
This is just more evidence portraying how ludicrous this whole affair has been... and proof that Reno city hall needs overhauling... badly. Hypocrisy run amok amongst the kouncil bureaucrats.
Those citizens who received invitations to these taxpayer-funded lavish festivities, please let us know via email by clicking right here.
We are going to keep tabs, but we will not hold our breath.
By the way, to flaunt these 2 kritters as representing the cowboy "community". Not!
38. In a gross attack on the First Amendment Right to Freedom of Speech, RSCVA president (and current Reno mayor) Griffin adjourned the 23 July meeting... rather than allow Watchdog Sam Dehne to lecture the board about on-going improprieties.
36. Reno council candidate, Mancha, has paid for his peccabilities.
NRS 281.230, ... [municipal officers] shall not, in any manner, directly or indirectly, receive any commission, personal profit or compensation of any kind resulting from any contract or other transaction in which the
employing state, county, municipality, township, district or quasi-municipal corporation is in any way interested or affected ...
NRS 281.481.2, A public officer ... shall not use his position ... to secure or grant unwarranted privileges ... or advantages ... for himself ... or and business entity in which he has a significant pecuniary interest ...
And right from the Reno City Charter Laws:
Sec 210.110 (2), The people further have a right to be assured to the fullest extent possible that the private financial dealings of their governmental representatives and of candidates for those offices, present no conflict of interest between the public trust and private gain. [read more? click here]
35. Reno Gazette reporter, Robert Anglen, really did it this time... he told as much of the truth as he could fit into a short report! Excerpts:
"Dehne, 57, has made himself a fixture at City Council meetings... he uses the lectern to question official activities --- sometimes with songs, comical redundancies, or pointed accusations."
"Much of Dehne's ire is focused on what he calls Griffin's 'cronyism and kickbacks'."
"Dehne has accused the mayor of getting dirty money for being paid more than $20,000 from the Airport to oversee creation of a free-trade zone. He said the mayor has used city contracts to funnel money to campaign supporters."
34. Forced Annexation of unwilling residents is wrong. The county and city must sit down with citizens and work this out. The cityhall spin doctors claim that Reno is subsidizing Washoe. Is this true?
Washoe commissioner Galloway says; No... much of county taxes are slated for REGIONAL items...
30. Once again the Reno Gazette did not report the whole story. The Norris Bacho tragedy was the result of a huge taxpayer - funded witchhunt and sting operation perpetrated by Reno city hall; because Bacho was about to turn state's evidence against their shady operations... their sleazy behind closed doors dealings.... their violations of the citizens' trust.
30a. Furthermore, Bacho was originally "hooked" on this LEGAL PRESCRIPTION DRUG (Stadol) by some doctors.
30b. Why wasn't this vital information in the story?
30c. This man needs defending against the diabolical forces that are trying to destroy him. Watchdog is watching him...
30d. Hey, Gazette editors... "THE WHOLE STORY - OR NO STORY!"
29. Like HIM or not... you have to love Mike Tyson's end run around the hypocritical and unethical Nevada Boxing Commission. He applied to box in New Jersey instead. Who needs Nevada?
This is the same BoxComm that, in an illegal, clandestine, and politically-cowardly payback "decision", denied Reno mayoral candidate, Sam Dehne, a boxing exhibition with Mills Lane. This was a great event that the whole community wanted to see! It was a salute to boxing... and this BoxComm stupidly shot itself in the feet. (To read more, click here.)
27. Why don't the airlines (RenoAir, United, Delta, etc) doing business within Reno have to pay for city Business Licenses... like all the other businesses at the airport?
33. Citizen Watchdog recently had a chance to meet Max Baer. What a confident, articulate, and... very healthy person. Wait until you hear what he has to say before you make up your mind about the Jethro Casino concept.
32. Just 2 of several lingering questions about the beloved Mayors Conference:
a. How much money did the mayor's campaign adviser, Parmer, pocket for herself and the mayor?
b. When are they going to repay the legally embezzled money they took from the Public Funds?
31. Does anybody care that Reno Property Tax Revenue has exploded upward at a rate of 18%... for each of the last 4 years? And that, even at that, the city is in FAR WORSE SHAPE than it was back before the gouging?
121 illegal aliens were caught working for the Atlantis Kasino. The fat cat bosses were totally exonerated from any wrongdoing.
Why weren't the business owners part of the Grand Jury investigation?
How many laws did they break?
Does anybody really believe they didn't know that ANY of these foreigners were... foreigners?
24. This is what I enjoy doing and if you don't like it, get off my list.
23. More Washoe Schools?
It comes down to one simple question: Should citizens have to SUBSIDIZE the greedy developers... and cancerous-growth mongers... and stupid local fat cat-controlled government decisions?
And it comes down to one simple solution: Make these greedy confraputigulators pay their way... and growth will slow down... and there will be less need for new schools.
22. With the creation of the USA government's brand new anti-drug program, Mandatory Monthly Drug Testing for Reno city council and city hall's top bureaucrats should be the order of the day. The order should also apply to the Reno Airport Board... and other important boards and commissions.
22a. If a person has to pee in a bottle to become a cop, bus driver, or most anything... then the people pulling the strings should be similarly obligated!
22b. As a show of good faith, Citizen Watchdog, who attends virtually all of these meetings, agrees to testing too.
22c. No need to worry about turnover... there are other qualified people out there.
22d. Passing this test will be no reflection on city hall's character.
21. Why does every decision at the Reno Airport have to have the FAA's blessing? This is the citizens' airport. Not the FAA's...
20. Did the Reno city councilman really say that one vote doesn't count? "One vote isn't going to have an effect."!?!? When does a vote have an effect? According to his thought process, why even bother? With attitudes like that, no wonder this council is running amok. The voting process IS Democracy in America.
19. Any idiot can figure out that moving the Reno Airport departure flight path slightly east will only "move the noise slightly east"... still blasting dozens of 1,000s of (new/different) citizens with airport assault an battery. Ridiculous ideas like that are what we get when aviation amateurs are running the Reno Airport. The simple solution(s):
a. Reduce power after SAFELY airborne, and
b. Turn to the east after passing Rattlesnake Mountain.
18. Any Airport "trustee" who says that he has tried 3 times to get the airport to look into a night time curfew is full of beans. Pleas to those aviation amateurs BY CITIZENS have fallen on deaf ears.
17. We don't want to rain on anybody's parade. But who helps pay for those citizen-subsidized ARTtown celebrations (bands, security, pomp & circumstance, etc) at Reno's Wingfield Park? Could that be one of the reasons why property tax revenue INCREASES are being confiscated by city hall at the rate of 18% each year?
17a. And when is Reno council going to repay the $550,000 they weaseled out of the Public Tax Funds to pay for their beloved Mayors Conference trappings of aggrandizement... lobster, wine & steak... cowboy hats, plush travel, first class accommodations everywhere... at the government trough?
16. Where does the Propaganda minister of Reno's $$million dollar tax-funded Brainwashing Machine live? Rumor has it that he is NOT EVEN A CITIZEN OF RENO!
15. Are the secret rumors about burger mogul, Luther Mack, being a candidate to get another hamburger joint AT THE RENO CASINO... SOON TO BE RENAMED "HAMBURGER BUN"... AIRPORT true? Payola for his help in all those Airport shady dealings of the last several years?
14. Reno Police Officer, Ron Dreher, was very close to the mark in his recent accessment of city manager McNeely ("YOUR TURN"). However, one of the main reasons McNeely (and the rest of Reno city hall/kouncil) did not want a Reno Police investigation of the Norris Bacho fiasco... was the fear that the "business as usual" Corruption running rampant down there might finally be exposed.
14a. Short-sniffing by city hall landed Bacho in the slammer. With some professional "sniffing" by the RPD, would McNeely and his krowd be very far behind?
12a. The real point is that there ARE ways to mitigate this noise, but the Special Interest fat cat-appointee aviation amateurs running the airport, don't know what to do...
11. Is it right for the Reno Casino Airport to, once again, mis-use USA taxes... this time to offer a subsidy Continental Airlines - to the tune of $200,000? The other airlines should be screaming about this govt corporate welfarism. (Not RenoAir though... the Reno Kasino Airport has been throwing our taxes at them for years.)
10. It was refreshing to watch citizens defend their property against Home Depot's violations of development rules... and city hall's refusal to properly police those violations. City staff says "this", and citizens say "that". Who is lying? A clue: It's NOT the citizens...
10a. Wasn't it extremely discouraging to see staff caught in one lie after another... and to watch city kouncil do nothing about these insults to good government?
9. City kouncil disclosure rules: It is wrong for elected officials (especially this mayor) to vote to help cronies... and himself... WITH OR WITHOUT "disclosure". IT IS CALLED ABSTAINING. But that requires integrity... honor... character.
8. We have been told that there is a simple way for citizens to tell when most of Reno city kouncil (as well as most of that top-level bureaucratic staff) is lying. Just watch real closely. It's when their lips are moving...
7. Why are the carpetbaggers allowed to come to town to pillage and plunder for their putrid personal profit... and then leave when the "pickings" get slim?
6. The bizarre scheme of selling off profitable golf courses to finance an unprofitable Convention Center is exactly bass-akwards. Any accountant will tell you to sell off the money losing operation & keep the profitable ones -- or is the plan to sell off these money machines to cronies of the mayor? Another kickback to add to so many others?
6a. Since the Convention Center continues to lose money, then why do we - the taxpayers - want it? Why buy a continuing loss? What's the net present value of a future loss? It's negative.
6b. If the Convention Center could make money, then why won't the casinos build it themselves?
6c. It looks crooked on the surface... and of course, underneath...
5. When citizens ask important questions of city hall, they must be answered. Click here to read a list that was sent back rejected from city hall... with a 6 inch high "REFUSED" imprinted across each of the 7 pages. Shame on those... city hall bureaucrats. THAT is nasty government!
4. Prez Clinton thought so little of the beloved Mayors Conference... that he refused to show... because he had to feed the dog. Shows just how (un) important this elitist party was.
3. The Mayors Conference was not to be seen anywhere in the news media (except maybe on the inside pages... where it belongs). Only Reno thought this taxpayer-funded farce deserved front page headlines...
2. It was Sam Dehne who pointed out that casino mogul Farahi did not belong on the RSCVA Board as an "airline rep". AND once again the Reno Gazette failed to give credit where credit was/is due. But that is in keeping with the fact that this solitary "paper" is controlled by the fat cat Special Interests.
Click back to Citizen Watchdog.