Washoe Commissioner Promises Community Town Halls Despite County Pushback

In a letter sent to local press outlets, Washoe County Commissioner Mike Clark (District 2) highlights the need for open and timely communication that has been lacking at the county board meetings, led by Commissioner Alexis Hill (District 1), and during the Davis fire. The Davis fire was eventually contained but destroyed nearly 6,000 acres, 15 structures, and 50 cars in his district and district one, including a dozen homes.

In his letter, Commissioner Clark writes:

How Much Coffee Can I Drink?

The recent Davis Fire incident shed light on the critical importance of timely and accurate information dissemination to residents. Upholding transparency and ensuring efficient communication channels can avert misinformation and foster community trust.

As the commissioner for the district, Chief Charles Moore was kind to call me about the wildfire, to brief me, on the day the fire broke out Saturday, September 7, 2024, and that was it. No, I mean that was it. I got updates from the County Manager along with the District 1, 3, 4, and 5 commissioners, despite a large majority of my constituent’s homes being at risk dependent on the winds.

On Tuesday, September 10, 2024, I reached out to former Commissioner Marsha Berkbigler who while representing District 1, experienced a wildfire. Marsha told me she received constant calls and updates from Chief Moore and County Manager John Slaughter because again, the fire was in her district. Berkbigler felt she probably knew more about what was going on than the commission chair, again because it was her district. Marsha commented that County Manager John Slaughter realized the buck stopped with Berkbigler so he wanted her to have as much information as he could provide to her.

Not the case with me, in fact the Monday, September 9, 2024 press conference I was not informed of, nor invited to attend. I received no further calls from Chief Moore, the Chair or the County Manager and his staff. Heck, even the fire app we directed people to did not update, and the only updates to the public and me were from the Truckee Meadows Fire Protection District’s X account.  I am very concerned about this lack of professionalism, communication, and the fact that several Washoe County employees told me that the “information lock down” regarding the Davis Fire was done to make me look bad and deny my constituents access to information that is vital to their livelihood. This is unacceptable.

Vice-Presidential candidate Democratic Gov. Tim Walz of Minnesota got an update, toured some of the fire devastation, handed out water to first responders in District 2, on Monday, September 9, 2024 – want to know how I learned about it – saw it on the 5PM local news.

Well, I’m at my Waterloo, line in the sand time folks.

I made it known I wanted to host a series of town halls for District 2 residents, and anyone else who wants to attend about ten days ago. Immediately I started to be advised by the folks at the District Attorney’s office that they would advise against these meetings. I and my private counsel disagree. Though the county previously shut down my “Bike with Mike” and my Older Americans Month senior event at the Reno Elks Lodge, events I was ALLOWED by Washoe County to hold in 2023, I would like to put the county staff on notice that I am going to have a series of community meetings, hosted by my constituents for my constituents–that I will be in attendance of in my capacity as a county commissioner.

I’ll let the media know when the meetings are set, I’m working with a few people to find a space large enough. We’re hoping to live stream on YouTube. That’s right I’m going to start my own YouTube channel. If you’ve got a space, or know of a space for the meetings, please reach out via my email meclark@washoecounty.gov or call my cell phone 775-720-2277.

Mike Clark

As Clark notes, the Davis fire quickly grew in size and breadth, threatening to consume South Reno, including commission districts one and two, causing the evacuation of thousands of residents. Despite the increase in volatility of the fire due to high winds, Commissioner Hill made one of her first public appearances with vice presidential candidate Tim Walz during a campaign photo-op on September 9th at a South Reno staging area for fight fighters and first responders. On September 7th, Hill marched in the Reno Pride parade.

At the time of the press conference, which wasn’t disclosed in advance to Commissioner Clark, Hill asked the community to “be patient” as the area was only accustomed to brush fires–a statement which is either grossly misstated or factually ignorant. Nonetheless, she got to spend time with her chosen candidate while his press caravan was forbidden to ask him questions during his brief two hour visit. Despite certain media reports, Walz did not tour the devastated area during his short visit. He went to the Nevada Democrats Washoe County headquarters, traveled to the staging area, and remained in the parking lot until his caravan left for Reno airport. His total visit to Reno was approximately two hours.

The Globe was invited by Commissioner Clark to tour the Davis fire devastation two days ago. We have talked to impacted residents, firefighters, and had to evacuate our family to safety last Wednesday. We will have a full report of what we learned and observed on this week.