Be a hero

Here it is, only mid-March, and already the battle lines are being drawn in the Reno City Council races. Come on, all you warriors, you bleeding hearts, you corporate lackeys, it’s time to get your palms limbered up to run for the pleasure of four years of public crucifixion. If you think your reputation and future business opportunities will grow with what happens in the next term, we’ve got news for you: The next seated City Council will be paying for the sins of the last administrations, dating back to at least 1995.

Purely for informational purposes, here are the people who’ve signed up for the privilege thus far:

Reno City Council, Ward 1: Wendy Alderman, Jenny Brekhus, Bernie Carter, Paul M. Gordon, Troy E. Harsh, Carola Nan Roach, and Allyson Denby Wong.

Reno City Council, Ward 3: Chad Dehne, Oscar DelGado, Nick Phillips, Dennis A. Romeo, and Michael “Mike” Trudell.

Reno City Council, Ward 5: Neoma Jardon and Kitty K. Jung.

Reno City Council, At-Large: Edward Hawkins, Scott Kelley, and David Ward.

Let’s admit it, we already know many of these names. We know whether they are earnest do-gooders or re-runs who finally see their chance at the trough. We’ve heard many of the “new” ideas they propose, and—even though the ideas have been publicly dismissed or failed before—they appear to feel a sense of entitlement to an elected seat. There are a few that even from this distance appear to have puppeteer developers’ hands stuck firmly up their … pantlegs. And, by jiminy, there are some people on this list we would love to see on the Reno City Council.

Unfortunately, there are a few names that should be on this list that have yet to declare. Sam Dehne, for example. Who can say it better than Sam said it on his Facebook page? “Somebody said, ‘Look at the train trench, ballpark, bowling stadium, events center, ballroom, bus station, City Hall itself.’ Who is the one voice who has warned everybody about these impending disasters … and many, many more … over and over at every public comment he could find? Yup, it’s been that Sam character who’s always sticking his ‘knows’ in government business.”

Sam, you can’t deprive this city of all your knowledge and ardor now, when you actually stand an honest chance of winning.

And Erik Holland, Congressional District 2? We sympathize, and we hate the new fascism, too, but man, this is the one Reno election in recent memory where regular people have a good chance of winning, and if enough regular people run, the very complexion of the Council will change, and the question of whether this city bends over for business or supports the regular people’s interest will be decided—maybe for decades. Really.

So all you masochists, you Dudley Do-Rights, you earnest, principled heroes, you’ve got until Friday, tomorrow, March 16 at 5 p.m. to go down to the Reno City Clerk’s office to pay your filing fee. We’ve got the firing squad waiting out back.