Political Tourists
Picon was amused to see Pat Cashell is being touted as a Reno Mayoral candidate someone should tell him that ship has sailed and his year was 2022. Then the gentleman who runs Soulful Seeds Community Garden, Mr. Whitten is a professional at getting discretionary funds from the City of Reno and Washoe County to keep his project alive but never heard him make a public comment or attend a meeting when he wasn’t getting a check. Our final funny is the gal who battled and almost didn’t make it, Councilmember Kathleen Taylor, is running for mayor didn’t she just barely win her council set in 2024. Oh, and they will all be asking you for contributions.
The Reno mayoral race is starting to look crowded – or at least noisy – with three more hopefuls “exploring” the idea of running. But here’s the question: where have these would-be leaders been?
Not at the late-night City Council marathons.
Not at the Planning Commission showdowns.
Not at the Neighborhood Advisory Board meetings where real issues are hashed out.
Not anywhere.
Nope. They’ve been on social media, testing the political waters with a toe dip and a hashtag, as if Reno’s future is a popularity contest, not a commitment.
Sure, Pat Cashell has name recognition, but aside from repping Sky Tavern, where’s the record of showing up for residents when decisions were on the line? And Ernest Whitten? He’s got experience getting discretionary funds from City Hall – great – but has he been a regular in the trenches of local government where policy meets the people? And, Councilmember Kathleen Taylor tries to avoid her constituents.
This isn’t about résumé padding. It’s about showing up when it’s inconvenient, uncomfortable, and politically risky.
If we’re talking about citizen warriors, let’s call it like it is – Shaun Mullin should be running. He’s been on the frontlines, calling out bad policy and commenting when others stayed silent.
So to all the “explorers” out there: Reno doesn’t need more political tourists. It needs leaders who have already been doing the work – not just posing for campaign season.