Curious and Curiouser …
Picon can't help but wonder why a certain City of Sparks mayor, currently running in a contested election, along with City Manager and Assistant City Manager seem so determined to relax requirements for key city officials. First, it was a request that the Sparks City Manager be not required to live in the City of Sparks.
Now, the latest proposed amendment to the City of Sparks Charter makes the City Attorney an appointed position rather than an elected one, allowing the council to set salaries for “elected officials” removing public hearing requirements for retaining outside legal counsel, and removing Assistant City Manager and Assistant City Attorney appeal processes.
Sound familiar?
It wasn't long ago that Reno tried the same maneuver. In 2024, Reno City Councilmember Naomi Duerr proposed changing the City Attorney from an elected office to one appointed by the City Council. The idea was quickly shown the door. Charter Committee member and former Nevada State Bar President Margo Piscevich pointed out the obvious: the City Attorney should remain independent from the very officials the office is tasked with advising. Apparently, the City of Reno Charter Committee was set to consider the change to an appointed City Attorney again. Too bad, they don’t have another meeting scheduled to let the public know more.
Before that, there was SB 434 during the 2017 Nevada Legislative Session. The bill, introduced through the Senate Committee on Government Affairs, sought to convert the Reno and Sparks City Attorney positions from elected to appointed offices. The measure was reportedly requested by unnamed local government interests. Funny how no one seemed eager to put their name on it.
The elected City Attorneys opposed the bill, and it ultimately met its demise at the desk of what many would argue was the only adult in the room at the time, Governor Brian Sandoval.
Which brings us back to today.
Why are certain city insiders so uncomfortable with elected City Attorneys who answer directly to voters rather than politicians seated on the dais? Why is independence viewed as a problem to be solved rather than a safeguard to be preserved? While we understand that there are a lot of folks at the Washoe County District Attorney’s Office looking to make their next move, if you don’t live in the ‘hood, why are you trying to police it?
Perhaps that's a question Sparks residents should be asking before anyone starts rewriting the Charter.
We hope to see Sparks and Reno residents attend the City Charter Committee Meetings to voice their opposition.
City of Sparks Charter Committee Meeting: Tuesday, June 23, 2026, at 5:30 pm at 745 4th Street, Sparks, NV, in the Legislative Building.
City of Reno Charter Committee: No Meetings Scheduled at this time.
In the meantime, while the collective panic over City of Sparks City Attorney Wes Duncan's decisive victory over the incumbent Washoe County District Attorney appears to be reaching peak levels in certain circles, patience remains a virtue.
No one expects the District Attorney's Office to be transformed overnight. Institutional change takes time. That said, a little spring cleaning is probably in order. You know who you are.
The real question is who gets the nod to become second in command of the criminal division. Will it be Brucey, who has reportedly been campaigning for the position in every conversation within earshot? Or will Tommy V ultimately get the call?
As always, the rumor mill is working overtime. We'll see soon enough whether it has finally stumbled onto something accurate.