Is Hicks Playing 5D Campaign Chess with Your Tax Dollars?
Yes. Chris Hicks’s office has a full‑blown Public Information Officer (PIO)—paid by you, the taxpayer—spitting out press releases like pros. From launching a Twitter account in 2015 to promoting “felonious rioters” and Reno High pandemonium, it’s slick spin 24/7.
Funny how every press blitz makes Hicks look polished on camera—almost like someone handed him his A‑plus teleprompter script. And now that Reno High students are charged, and you got the same: free airtime, moralizing soundbites, and conveniently framed criminal theater.
The Reno High Charges; Tough stance?
Let’s break down the facts:
27 defendants, only 8 indicted by a grand jury, slapped with gross misdemeanors—up to one year in jail. Not exactly felony terror.
Charges include property damage and “willful or wanton disregard,” but no hate‑crime prosecution, despite Nazi graffiti.
How convenient—get the megaphone, drop in the scary rhetoric, charge a little, and milk every “leading from the front” sound bite.
Is this simply optics, and no justice?
The PIO, clearly marching in step with Hicks’s messaging, is essentially Hicks’s in‑house PR consultant—fully funded by local taxes.
Are media opps being coaxed to “play up Hicks”? Hell yes. Every release glosses his “leadership” and “decisiveness.” Standard campaign rollout, on the public dime.
DA offices nationwide use high‑profile local crime to raise funds. After “justice done,” will Hicks be pivoting and asking parents of Reno High families for campaign contributions? No one can check until the January 15, 2026 filing.