Sunscreen and Smoke Screens: Mayor Schieve's Transparency Issues

Spooge owners Mayor Hillary Schieve and Dr. Whitney Hovenic launched with their PR/Marketing firm.

In the bright Reno sunshine, Mayor Hillary Schieve seems to have forgotten an essential civic protection: transparency.

As the City of Reno partners with the Nevada Cancer Coalition along with the Reno Aces baseball team to sponsor cancer screenings at Greater Nevada Field, a curious connection has emerged from the shadows. Mayor Schieve, the city's highest elected official, has been quietly developing her own skincare line called "Spooge"—a sunscreen product ostensibly designed to help prevent skin cancer.

Promotion of the Biggest Little Skin Cancer Screening from Community Health Alliance. You remember Schieve’s old pal, former Reno city councilmember Oscar Delgado is the Executive Director.

Connect these dots: City resources supporting cancer screenings. Mayor with a personal financial stake in skin cancer prevention products. Potential conflict of interest glaring brighter than the Nevada sun.

When confronted by an observant resident about this apparent conflict, Mayor Schieve reportedly responded not with the calm clarity one might expect from a public servant, but with the defensive posture of someone caught without their SPF 50. The resident, who merely sought accountability, nearly had their head metaphorically bitten off for daring to question the overlap between personal profit and public policy.

The mayor's business venture remained conveniently unmentioned in public disclosures until this citizen spotlight forced acknowledgment. One might reasonably ask: If there's nothing improper about the arrangement, why the reluctance to disclose it proactively?

In a city that prides itself on being "The Biggest Little City in the World," this situation represents perhaps the biggest little conflict of interest—hidden in plain sight until someone dared to question it.

Public service demands public accountability. When elected officials blur the lines between civic duty and commercial enterprise, the resulting burn isn't easily soothed—even with premium sunscreen.

The residents of Reno deserve better than having to play detective to uncover their mayor's business interests, especially when those interests potentially benefit from city-sponsored initiatives. In matters of public trust, the forecast should always call for maximum transparency, not partial cloudiness with a chance of evasion.

For Mayor Schieve, the prescription is simple: full disclosure before someone else does the disclosing for you. Because in politics, as in skincare, prevention is always better than treatment.

Mayor Schieve made sure the City of Reno supported this event last year, again with no disclosure of Schieve and her business. Conflict?