Reno
Citizen June/July, 1998
The Reno Citizen takes no responsibility for views expressed by its writers. (But we would if we could.)
Reno
Citizen June/July, 1998
writers. (But we would if we could.)
DEAR READERS:
Staff members thank all citizens for their loyal support... as The FREE Reno Citizen magazine enters its fourth year of publication (2 1/2 years on the internet). We originally planned to dedicate this issue to past successes. But reporting on continuing improprieties throughout local government (Reno Airport, Reno City Hall, Reno Redevelopment Agency, and other guilty agencies) takes precedence.
NEVADA ATHLETIC COMMISSION GUILTY OF LOW BLOWS... AND EAR BITES by Sam Dehné
Protect your crotches... and ears.
A followup to last month's feature report:
1. Two healthy, consenting, male adults decided to put on a boxing exhibition... to raise campaign funds for Sam Dehne's bid to be elected Reno mayor.
2. Plans were formalized with safety and decorum receiving high priority.
3. A major casino was interested in sponsoring the event and negotiations were in progress.
4. In a random poll every citizen questioned said he/she was looking forward to Sam Dehne and Mills Lane stepping into the boxing ring.
5. On 12 May, 1998, Sam submitted a courtesy letter to the Nevada Athletic Commission informing them in detail that he and Lane had agreed to put on a publicity event to raise funds for Sam's campaign for Reno mayor.
Despite overwhelming community support for Sam's original idea, mayor Griffin's close friend and political accomplice, Luther Mack, used his "juice" to pull the plug. Sam was never even allowed to present his "case" as required by the dictates, as well as the spirit, of Nevada law.
Mack (a government appointee, subject to the rules and laws of Nevada) failed to disclose, among numerous flagrant improprieties, that he:
1. is a close friend of current mayor, Jeff Griffin... Sam's opponent in the current election,
2. received a plush political promotion to the Reno Airport Board of trustees from his friend, the current mayor,
3. has been a notable financial contributor to the current mayor's campaigns,
4. has exchanged numerous other political favors with the current mayor.
If Mack were an honorable government official, he would have disqualified himself from voting on this matter. Instead, Mack led the charge to squelch an event that would have promoted Dehne's candidacy against Mack's friend, Reno's current mayor. Anybody with an ounce of intelligence knows this is another political ploy... and Griffin is calling in yet another favor.
The AthComm is way off their mark and has no right to stick their stink in here.
Political chicanery, cronyism, and collusion in Northern Nevada continue to be alive and well.
QUESTIONS THAT CITIZENS WANT ANSWERS TO:
Sam Dehné
* Why have property tax revenues gone up 18% a year for some years now? Has this become a standard operating procedure?
* Where is the line drawn between First Amendment rights and "decorum"? Is enforcement of the Reno City Council's 3-minute rule for public input affected by the nature of such input... i.e. whether it is laudatory or critical of city hall?
* Exactly how much public money has now been committed to the mayors' conference? How much are the mayor's friends making off this event?
* Did the city manager direct any staff person(s) to plan redevelopment meetings so that councilperson Judy Herman could not attend?
* Did the city manager direct any staff person(s) to attempt prevention of theaters being constructed at Park Lane Mall?
* Why does the city manager do so much traveling? Where has he traveled at city expense since being hired and why? What is the total cost to taxpayers for his travels? How can city council justify his raises and bonuses?
* Is the city manager a legal resident of Reno? Is he a registered voter?
* How many miles of city streets are in need of repair? How many miles will be repaired during 1998? At what expense? How much money does the city collect from various sources for street repairs? What are those various sources?
* Why do city-funded (your taxes) pages in the Gazette-Journal not report questions and answers raised by citizens about Reno government?
* Why has the City of Reno spent dozens of $10,000s of your taxes on an investigation involving a legitimate $3,000 moving bill submitted by a city official who challenged plans for downtown redevelopment?
* How often has the City of Reno hired private investigators over the past 5 years? For what purposes? At what cost to taxpayers?
* Why has the City of Reno not hired private investigators to profile the backgrounds of ALL key Reno bureaucrats?
* Why does the City of Reno fund any entity that operates in a secret manner by not permitting the public to attend its meetings? ex: EDAWN
* Why aren't members of the city council (esp the mayor) ordered to disclose the truth when attempting to vote on big issues involving their big ($1,500) campaign contributors? Isn't this nose-thumbing?
* Why was Section 2.020.2 of the city charter not enforced for a number of years? How many years? When its non-enforcement came to public light, why were ramifications of its non-enforcement not evaluated and publicly reported?
* Before any major casino project is approved, why is a credible and detailed community impact study not conducted? Would this not protect taxpayers against the political influence of powerful special interests?
* Why should Reno or Washoe taxpayers have to pay for a multimillion-dollar railroad trench that will benefit casinos? Will this question be put to voters for their approval or disapproval?
* Why is city hall totally ignoring the fact that its Reno Airport appointees are using eminent domain against innocent Reno citizens without any discussion?
PRESS RELEASE
"Reno City Workers Need Protection"
SAM DEHNE, CANDIDATE FOR RENO MAYOR
5 June, 1998
All freedom loving citizens commend the Washoe county district attorney's office and Reno deputy city attorney, Carolyn Cramer, for their honorable actions with reference to the unwarranted attack by Reno city hall upon an innocent man, Norris Bacho.
It should be pointed out to Reno city employees that a major shakeup will soon take place within Reno government. Monkey business of serious proportions will be made public. City employees who participate in any stonewalling and cover-ups will place their jobs in jeopardy and not receive job references for future employment.
Those employees who come forward with information about dirty dealings by McNeely and Griffin, et al, will be permitted to keep their jobs.
The Bacho matter will soon bring out more wrongdoings. The deputy city attorney who went public with city hall's dishonesty should be made city attorney. Griffin will NOT be re-elected!
We will be working toward establishing a "silent witness" program for city employees. Until our reform movement gets into full implementation, employees wishing to report wrongdoings must be protected.
If citizens are intelligent enough to elect Sam Dehne as Reno's new mayor, he will introduce resolutions to replace the city's $million dollar propaganda machine with an organization to oversee the new whistleblower program.
CITIZEN WATCHDOG:
Sam Dehné
30. How much money did the City of Reno spend sending police officers to the east coast to investigate Norris Bacho AFTER he was wrongfully terminated?
29. And as far as worries about injuries to either Lane or Dehne in their boxing exhibition, Dehne already promised Lane's wife that he would not hurt her husband...
28. Give any citizen a blank checkbook.... and let her/him go on a witch hunt against any city hall bureaucrat... and then stand back!
Did anybody else know that the Reno police department reportedly sent detectives (plural) clear back to Connecticut to see what kind of furniture Norris Bacho had when he lived there? $$$Thousands of dollars of your taxes wasted (airline travel, hotels, salaries, etc, etc) by city hall on a wild goose chase... to resolve a $3,000 legitimately authorized moving expense! Insanity rules! The wrong people are being investigated...
27. Local news media reporting continues to be a joke... as it panders to fat cats at Reno city hall... attacking the Sparks mayor for piss-ant stuff... while letting the Reno mayor thumb his nose and engorge his and his cronies' bloated coffers with huge amounts of citizens' money. Shame on you... so called news reporters...
26. City hall's beloved Mayors Conference is costing Reno citizens about $750,000 in known expenses. And the current mayor and his campaign cronies are collecting huge sums of money to spend on his campaign. Note: when you see the current mayor's signs and propaganda, remember that your taxes are helping pay for that!
25. For the record, Sam Dehne is still willing and anxious to "get it on" with Mills Lane... in a stadium... or in a cow pasture.
25a. To hell with the politically-infiltrated cronyistic and corrupted Athletic Commission. Their lack of ethics should demand their surrendering of the privilege to rule on this or any issue.
25b.They should be summarily removed from their positions of trust immediately.
24. It is minute in the scheme of the current mayor's schemes. But what is he doing with free parking favors at the Reno Airport? More cronyism... Does/will it ever end?
23. Reno's Political Prisoner, discussed below, has been "sprung" from jail at an unheard of $15,000 cash bail. Cronyism has been taken to new limits in Reno, Nevada.
Similar action was taken against former city councilwoman, Jan Dalske, when she threatened to expose corruption at city hall.
22. City hall's $$$million dollar taxpayer-funded city hall propaganda machine must, someday soon, be held accountable for its devious activites...
21. The ridiculous idea of building a railroad trench through downtown Reno has overlooked many vital issues, including: sewer and electrical lines that are in the way and the water table that is much higher than they think. The costs will escalate beyond their wildest nightmares. Who's paying? YOU are paying...
20. It is a well kept secret that Reno council increased property tax revenue by an amazing 18% this year.... just like last year... and the year before... and the year before...
19. Reno city council strictly relegates Sam Dehne to the new "Sam Dehne time limit of 3 minutes of Public Comment" rule. But they let every other speaker exceed this limit with no regard for fairness.
18. City hall has decided to take $dozens of 1,000s of dollars from the "Public (General) Fund" to pay for more downtown lighting. Wouldn't you like YOUR taxes to pay for more lights in YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD? This latest rouse coincides (again) with their beloved taxpayer-funded Mayors Conference...
18a.Caviar, wine, lavish festivities... all at the expense of the lowly tax-paying wage-earner...
17. Reno city hall Political Prisoner, Norris Bacho, is in jail because of a witch hunt perpetrated by his political enemies in upper level management at city hall... as well as a vengeful jilted former female admirer... Free him now!
16. This latest fighter jet crash at Fallon is more proof that more training should be done in the sophisticated jet simulators that the military has. It is far more cost effective, just as productive, and obviously safer.
16a. AND military bases are too dangerous to be located in downtown cities... like the outrageous Reno airport board is trying to do to Reno.
15. Analogies from the Reno campaign trail: Reminds one of the scene where this missionary had set up a leper colony, got zillions of lepers there. Plague struck - colony littered with dead & dying lepers. Missionary takes his son up on the hill overlooking the colony, puts his arm on the boy's shoulders, and says, "Someday, my son, this will all be yours.... "
14. All citizens should object to Reno city hall disregard of public trust and waste of resources... sniffing through Norris's Bacho-shorts on a witch hunt... while all around them true corruption permeates.
14a. Internet investigation reveals that the migraine pain medication, Stadol, is one of the most insidiously addictive drugs there is. The manufacturer knows this and there are hundreds of lawsuits pending. So even if Bacho is using the drug too much, HE IS THE VICTIM and not the culprit... and should be treated accordingly.
13. The question begs asking: If the Reno Gazette thinks that a man who attended a single Reno city council budget session for about 1/2 hour, deserves a "citizens badge of honor", what does Sam Dehne deserve for attending virtually all of EVERY city council meeting for 3 straight years?!?
11. CITIZENS BEWARE! The current mayor's son says... "This will be an easy campaign to run.". Of course; because the mayor has been able to funnel huge sums of public $$$$money to: his former and current campaign advisors... including Parmer Asso, American Strategy, his son, his campaign fund-raiser Rose... and many others too numerous to track down. This means that Reno citizens will be paying for his signs and billboards, his TV ads, his radio propaganda... and other schemes he has planned.
CITIZENS BEWARE!
10. One of the worst sham-scams in Reno are these ubiquitous "citizens' committees". They are 99% the same old "usual suspects"... mainly special interest surrogates. They really should be called "elitists' committees".
9. Once again the current mayor has ignored the dictates of the city laws. He refused to "disclose" that the casino asking his approval for a large "temporary building" in downtown Reno... has given a huge campaign donation to his bloated coffers.
8. The recent retirement of one of the Reno Airport's good people... without a golden parachute... highlights the ludicracy of the $475,000 of public funds being given to the departing Director and his assistant. How, by any standard of decency, can such a huge payoff be justified? Is this hush money?
7. Reno city council GUARANTEED that NO more public funds would be used for their beloved Mayors Conference. Well, they prevaricated. $550,000 of your taxes have been diverted from the Public Funds (Funds meant to be used by and/or for Reno citizens)... to spruce up downtown to impress the mayors.
7a. Niceties for the dignitaries (police protection, travel, private parties, wine & caviar, etc) were supposed to be paid for ENTIRELY with donations. The mayor clandestinely and unilaterally hired his campaign crony, Parmer to raise donations... with her receiving receiving a plush percentage $$$cut.
7b. And it begs another question: Will Parmer (and the mayor) also benefit from the $550,000 taken from the public coffers... will she also consider that a part of raised "donations"?
6. The Reno Airport is in the process of hiring a huge international development company... to continue with its plot to wreak noise, danger and blight upon Reno. Logic and good judgment demands that there be an Environmental Impact Statement Study before these pawns of the special interests are allowed to proceed any further with their attacks against innocent Reno citizens.
5. The proliferation of people running for mayor in Reno is astounding. How many would have had the fortitude to do it if Sam Dehne hadn't led the way... by pointing out the terrible record of the current mayor? Or are some of them merely "shills" for this current mayor... to dilute the vote?
4. What a joke on readers! The Reno Gazette headline reports about the Sparks mayor supposedly using improper techniques to raise (private) funds... for a band... while totaling ignoring the current Reno mayor's funneling of $dozens of $1,000s of public dollars to campaign cronies... his fund-raisers and advisers. What a joke!
4a. The Gazette also has failed to report on the current Reno mayor's plush publicly-funded kickback contract from his crony-subordinates at the Reno Un-Amerikan Airport... What a joke!
3. Traffic has gotten so congested that just about every intersection crossing needs a stop sign or stop light... cars backed up everywhere.
2. Why in the world is the Reno Gazette reporting on where/how councilpeople live... when all around city hall there are stories of incompetence and corruption that are being ignored? It's pure flapdoodle... that's what it is...
2a. The same day of these reports, the mayor refused to disclose (as per dictates of the city charter... and general rules of honorable government) that he was voting to give a plush contract to his campaign fund raiser. In effect he is funding his own mayoral campaign with citizens' money... and this fund-raising friend has already donated over $1,000 to that campaign! Not a peep in the paper about that. Nope...
1. The horrible condition of Neil Road is a disgrace to the citizens of Reno. When is something going to be done to fix Reno's worst street?
THE NORRIS BACHO SAGA CONTINUES... AND THE ENDING IS FAR FROM OVER... JUSTICE WILL PREVAIL Sam Dehné
Remember this when reading about the Bacho fiasco in the future:
* Norris Bacho and Sam Dehne had never met until 3 months ago (circa February, 1998)... when Dehne recognized the nasty city hall thumbprints and offered assistance to Bacho.
* This bizarre brouhaha over $3,000 of legally authorized moving expenses is a rouse to divert attention from real problems at city hall and city kouncil.
* This legal prescription "drug" that Bacho apparently developed a need for... was prescribed to him by 4 (four) Nevada medical doctors.
MORE ON THE BACHO BASHING KANGAROO KOURT
Also, a Reno Gazette reporter reported that the DA (after receiving an unheard of 1,200 pages of documents - while investigating a JUSTIFIED $3,000 moving expense!) said Bacho is innocent of the charge he was fired for AND he should be fired. Should be fired?!?!
That does not make sense... none, nada, zero, zippoo, never, crazy... logic gone berserk!!! You don't have to be Socrates or Plato to deduce that Bacho SHOULD NOT BE FIRED.
And while the Gazette dedicated almost 2 full pages to city hall's Bacho Bashing Kangaroo Kourt... they gave scant notice to the fact that the diabolical Reno Airport is now proceeding with dastardly plans to confiscate land away from innocent citizens via eminent domain theft. (Of course there was no investigation into and/or reporting of this cowardly activity... just a 2 x 2 inch sound bite.)
Simply put, this city hall vigilantism is an obvious ploy to divert attention away from the real rotten stinking mess at Reno's upper echelon bureaucratic levels and at city kouncil.
It is important to read the Gazette VERY CAREFULLY... but ALWAYS remember that those ace reporters have to goose-step to the marching orders of their Special Interest catering bosses...
After reading the Gazette articles, the best conclusion a sane person could come to... is that the district attorney, with help from state and federal attorney's, should be convening a Grand Jury against city hall and at least half of Northern Nevada cronyistic government bureaucracies.
How can city hall be allowed to get away with hiring an "outside" attorney, who has done work on this case... BEFORE THE KOUNCIL EVEN VOTES ON IT! That is another desecration of the city charter and the spirit of good honorable government. But who cares? City hall sure doesn't... and apparently neither does the Gazette...
Note: Reno City hall is hiring outside attorney(s), at huge additional taxpayer expense, to defend themselves against damning charges brought against this regime by Norris Bacho.
Note: This scheme (item 9B of 26 May city council Agenda ) was never discussed at city council. No kouncil member objected to it or even discussed it and it was passed with the rest of the "Consent Agenda".
Note: This is another, in a long list of atrocities perpetrated by this (badly in need of overhaul) city hall.
Note: There are already over 18 attorneys on the city hall staff!!!
Note: No wonder property tax revenue continues to escalate out of control at over 18% per year!!!
Note: Mr Bacho was fired summarily... and wrongly... without a hearing... and without viable evidence.
Note: City hall wants the taxpayers to once again pay for its terrible blunders.
Note: It should be perfectly clear that city hall would adhere to the laws of the city much better... if they, themselves, had to pay for the consequences of their blatant follies.
Note: This entire episode continues to be a diversionary tactic... as city hall bureaucrats hope to continue to cover up their problems. Honorable citizens hope it won't work again.
A RESOLUTION TO KEEP PROPERTY TAXES UNDER CONTROL by Guy Felton
Whereas, City of Reno actual property tax revenues were $17,696, 000 for the year 96/97, and
Whereas, City of Reno budgeted property tax revenues have escalated to $23,929,000 for the coming year, and
Whereas, the foregoing figures represent a huge 35 percent increase in property tax revenues over a two-year period, and
Whereas, growth in the City of Reno has not been reported to be nearly as much as 18 percent per year ... or 35 percent over 2 years, and
Whereas, the Reno City Council is desirous of increasing the property tax rate on residential properties while, at the same time, lowering casino property taxes, and
Whereas, it is well-known that Reno citizens are not in favor of increasing taxes, and
Whereas, elected Reno officials are not empowered to disregard the will of the people whom they are supposed to serve in theory, and
Whereas, Reno officials invite the perception that they intentionally cloud and misrepresent budget information in a manner to confuse the public, and
Whereas, it is clear that Reno citizens would reject any property tax rate hike if permitted to do so by public vote ...
Be it therefore resolved, that the Reno City Council shall direct city staff to prepare a written explanation of all budget items as projected for the coming year so they may be easily understood by the average citizen, and
Be it further resolved, that the Reno City Council shall honor the majority consensus of the citizens of Reno regarding any property tax rate increase.
Whereas, Mayor Griffin, some members of the Reno City Council, and the Reno City Attorney do not see themselves as being accountable to the people of Reno for the proper use of public money, and
Whereas, city money... to the tune of some $40,000 of citizens' taxes last year... is regularly given to EDAWN (Economic Development Authority of West Nevada), a secretive quasi-governmental agency whose meetings are closed to the public, and
Whereas, certain activities of EDAWN are clearly and grossly controversial and conflictory, and
Whereas, other quasi-governmental agencies subsidized with public money such as the Airport Authority and the Convention and Visitors Authority are ordered to permit public participation at their meetings,
Be it therefore resolved, that Mayor Griffin, the Reno City Council, and the Reno City Attorney shall immediately discontinue their misdirection of public funds to EDAWN unless and until that agency opens its meetings to public attendance, and
Be it further resolved, that Mayor Griffin, the Reno City Council, and the Reno City Attorney shall explain why they have not previously acknowledged the impropriety and perhaps illegality of giving public money to EDAWN, a secretive organization, and
Be it also resolved, that any Reno official who refuses to support this or a similar resolution shall, by his or her position, publicly admit that he or she is opposed to open government, democratic process, and the clear right of citizens to monitor the use and application of public
money.
Respectfully submitted, Reno's Next Mayor
WHY CAN'T THE RENO GAZETTE REPORT THE REAL STUFF? Sam Dehné
With the plethora of anti-citizen actions being conjured up at the 6/11/98 Reno Airport meeting, the Reno Gazette preferred to spend its time reporting on the airport's bogus attempt to remove one of the few qualified members from its stacked Citizens Outrageous Outreach Committee. And even that report left out the most vital information.
Just a few (slightly more important) items that were, as usual, totally ignored:
* The Reno Airport is commencing cowardly, illegal and diabolical emanant domain landgrab attacks against a large number of innocent victims.
* The Reno Airport is considering paying another $1,822,145.00 (on top of some $400,000 already wasted) to the company it hired to (mis)move the Air Guard to a spot in the middle of dozens of 1,000s of Reno citizens... a stupid decision that will create untold blight, noise, and danger.
* The Reno Airport is planning huge $$$ pay raises to its top bureaucratic staff. Hooey!
* Improperly appointed (not a Reno citizen) board chair, Mack, was given a gala farewell party... with accolades... even though virtually everything about the Reno Airport is worse than when he and his contingent of aviation amateurs arrived on the scene. And even though $$$millions of USA taxes have
been misappropriated in unethical kickback-sweetheart deals.
* The airport finally admitted that the reason for the continued assault on the citizens of Rewana Farms is that there have been sweetheart deals with local companies in the works for years. "There are 11 (that's eleven) subs working on it now.".... the tearing down of Rewana... and then the imbecilic creation of a huge military base in downtown Reno.
* The Airport continues to violate the rules of the FAA by refusing to insulate homes in Rewana... even though large sums of federal corporate welfare money grants (your taxes!) are pouring down the tubes.
DOUBLE-DIPPING AT THE CORPORATE WELFARE TROUGH... RENO AIRPORT STYLE by Sam Dehne
One can never stop being amazed at the bizarre/backwards activity at the Reno Airport:
1. It uses FEDERAL taxes (corporate welfare disguised as "grants") to force innocent citizens off their land all around the airport... under the guise that it is too noisy and dangerous (even though the vast majority of innocent citizens are NOT COMPLAINING).
2. Then, after the airport has used FEDERAL dollars to buy the land, who takes ownership of the properties? Logic would demand that it be the FEDERAL government. But, no... it's the Airport.
3. And THEN when the Airport leases the land out to businesses (who, by the way, also have to put up with the same noise and danger as the innocent citizens who were forced off their land), where does that money go? To the FEDERAL government? No!
4. The illegal (by any sense of logical logic) ill-gotten money goes into the coffers of the Airport... DOUBLE CORPORATE WELFARE.
5. They fleece the public (with the blessing of the FAA)... coming and they fleece the public going... and then they fleece the public coming again!
WHY SHOULD YOU VOTE FOR SAM DEHNE TO BE RENO MAYOR?
SAM has lived in Reno for 31 years.
(the F-16) in Reno.
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