What’s Commissioner Alexis Hill Hiding?

The email Commissioner Mike Clark sent to some of the press yesterday.

The CHAB Board Goes Silent — and So Does Accountability.

It’s been more than a year since the last Community Homeless Advisory Board (CHAB) meeting — and the silence is starting to sound suspicious.

The September 2024 meeting was cancelled due to the Davis Fire, fair enough. But here we are in October 2025, and Chair Commissioner Alexis Hill still hasn’t called a single follow-up. Commissioner Mike Clark has been asking for a meeting since last fall, and each time he’s met with the same shrug of indifference: the chair doesn’t find it necessary.

Really? A board specifically created to oversee homeless policy — during a time when Washoe County is spending tens of millions of taxpayer dollars on the Nevada Cares Campus — and it’s “not necessary” to meet?

It makes you wonder:
What exactly does Commissioner Hill not want discussed?

The minutes from the May 2024 meeting still haven’t been approved. The Nevada Cares Campus continues to burn through public funds. And the county’s homeless programs are under more scrutiny than ever, especially now that Dana Searcy, the former Division Director for Housing and Homeless Services, has suddenly “departed” — though whether she jumped or was pushed remains anyone’s guess.

Could it be that Chair Hill — who just happens to be comically eyeing the Governor’s seat — doesn’t want any bad optics before campaign season kicks into high gear? Or maybe she’s trying to make sure no discontented “guests” from the Cares Campus show up to complain about conditions, oversight, or the crime?

And what about Kate Thomas, the interim county manager and one of the finalists for the permanent job — who was Searcy’s direct supervisor? How did this happen under her watch? Shouldn’t she be answering questions, not hiding behind cancelled meetings and delayed agendas?

Transparency shouldn’t depend on timing, politics, or whose résumé is being polished. The Cares Campus was built on promises of oversight and accountability — both of which seem to have gone missing right along with CHAB.

If Washoe County leaders are so proud of their progress on homelessness, call the meeting. Approve the minutes. Face the music.

Otherwise, voters might start wondering if the people running the show are less interested in caring for the homeless — and more concerned with protecting their own careers.