McPolitics and the Case of the Retread Republicans
Leave it to Red Move to think this candidate is on a fast track.
Good grief — the Republicans of Washoe County are at it again. Before we know it 2026 will be here, the primaries are warming up, and apparently, the bench is so shallow you can see the bottom.
We’d hoped for new faces, new voices, maybe even new ideas. Instead, the Washoe County Republican Party is serving reheated leftovers — and calling it strategy.
Enter Brook M. Westlake, the cannabis entrepreneur, failed school board candidate, Ronald McDonald House fundraiser. Brook’s running because if you lose once, well, why not try again?
Now, this comeback tour is brought to you courtesy of Chair Bruce Parks, who famously doesn’t believe in funding candidates. Parks has made it clear — the party’s bank account is emptier than a campaign promise, and if you want help, bring your own checkbook. That might explain why Washoe’s “new” candidates look a lot like the old ones, just with fresh headshots and deleted tweets.
And speaking of deletions — may social media comments have mysteriously vanished from Brook’s feeds — almost as if they were quietly scrubbed.
The same Westlake now helping raise money for children also happens to run multiple cannabis-related ventures: Women in Cannabis Expo, Ganja Garden Goddesses, Neon Nite Apparel, and ADA Lake Labs. Quite the juggling act — family-friendly philanthropy by day, flower-powered entrepreneurship by night.
Oh, and let’s not forget the lawsuit over her son’s vaccination, the public divorce from former school board trustee Scott Kelly (which played out more like a soap opera than a custody case), and her brief reign as Ms. Northern Nevada 2014.
Her self-described “medical background”? That came from selling telehealth kiosks for CSI — a company that was owned by her mentor Chuck Bluth who also just happens to be a developer - go ahead and Google him you’ll have a whole lot of reading.
It’s all one big McCombo Meal — a little politics, a little PR, and a whole lot of confusion about what’s actually being served.
Meanwhile, the party faithful seem unbothered. Maybe it’s the exhaustion. Maybe it’s the leadership. Or maybe it’s because, as one insider put it, “We’re just happy anyone’s still willing to run.”
As for Ronald McDonald House Global, they haven’t responded to our inquiries — and who can blame them?
Pass the fries, Washoe. The political circus is back — and this time, it’s supersized.
We want to point out Bybee is not a ‘retread’ candidate she is running for Sparks Mayor being termed out as a councilmember. And yes, she can run, different charter than the City of Reno.