Greg Kidd, Affordability, and the Curious Company He Keeps

Karma Box Executive Director Grant Denton at a VIP event on Friday, January 9, 2025.

Greg Kidd is back—once again attempting to “understand” Northern Nevada.

The well-funded would-be public servant is hosting yet another Meeting the Moment: Affordability Crisis Town Hall on Tuesday, January 21, from 5:00–6:30 p.m. at the Reno Public Market. Hosted by This Is Reno, Kidd says the event follows up on a March town hall meant to hear how everyday Nevadans are coping with rising costs—groceries, electricity, rent—and to gather ideas on making Northern Nevada more affordable and equitable.

On its face, that sounds reasonable.

But as with many Kidd productions, the details raise more questions than answers—particularly when it comes to who he chooses to elevate and what homework, if any, he’s doing before stepping into the spotlight.

Take the panel.

One featured speaker is Serena Evans of the Nevada Coalition to End Domestic and Sexual Violence. Evans is widely respected and does serious, difficult work advocating for some of the most vulnerable people in our state. Her presence lends credibility and gravity to any conversation about housing instability, safety, and affordability.

Then there’s Grant Denton of the Karma Box Project.

That choice is… puzzling.

Denton has been the subject of multiple public allegations from women claiming manipulation and sexual harassment—allegations that have circulated widely in the community. Whether Kidd is unaware of this controversy or simply unconcerned by it is unclear. Either way, it suggests a troubling lack of due diligence from someone who wants voters to trust his judgment.

More troubling is the substance—or lack thereof—Denton brings to an “affordability” discussion.

Karma Box Project has received substantial public funding connected to the Nevada Cares Campus. Yet outcomes remain murky at best. Commissioner Mike Clark recently shared correspondence from County Manager Kate Thomas that, by the county’s own data, shows little to no measurable success tied to that spending.

Show us an outcome from the Safe Camp run by Karma Box Project at the Nevada Cares Campus.

So what, exactly, is Denton being asked to speak about?
Outcomes that don’t exist? Programs that haven’t delivered? Or narratives that sound good on stage but don’t hold up under scrutiny?

Greg Kidd seems unconcerned with those questions.

And that’s the pattern.

Kidd routinely presents himself as a listener, a convener, a thoughtful problem-solver. But listening requires preparation. Convening requires discernment. And problem-solving requires an understanding of local context—something you don’t get if you’re not watching county commission meetings, city council debates, or following the very real controversies playing out in Washoe County.

Instead, Kidd appears more focused on assembling panels that look balanced while quietly canceling themselves out—serious advocates paired with deeply questionable figures, credibility diluted by contradiction.

Which leads to the unavoidable question:
What is Greg Kidd actually up to?

Is this about affordability—or optics?
Is it about solutions—or positioning?
Is it about Northern Nevada—or a campaign résumé padded with town halls and talking points?

Because affordability isn’t solved by hosting meetings with mismatched messengers. And voters deserve more than someone with deep pockets and shallow preparation.

If Greg Kidd truly wants to understand Northern Nevada, the first step isn’t another town hall.

It’s doing the homework.