At the Oct. 4 Candidate Night, nominees vying for several open seats entered into debates to show Sparks residents where they stood on certain issues. Emceed by Washoe County School District Public Information Officer Victoria Campbell, it’s no surprise that all candidates were questioned about their stance on Washoe County Question 1- an initiative that would generate revenue to repair schools and construct new ones.
All Sparks candidates unanimously said they were voting “yes” on WC-1. Both Ron Smith and John Rhoads running for Sparks City Council Ward 5 support the Question 1 School Tax.
“Yes, as long as the money is going to the schools,” says Rhoads.
“Yes, I want everyone to have the best education,” says Smith.
Kristopher Dahir, running for Sparks City Council Ward 3, says that the three most important concerns for residents are “safety, parks and investing in kids.” He added that he supports the Question 1 School Tax initiative.
Donald Abbott and Denise Lopez, the millennials running for the Sparks City Council Ward 1 seat, both support the School Tax. Lopez added, “We need to fix the overcrowding and safety.”
State Assembly District 31 candidate Skip Daly feels that the number one issue of the budget and its time restraints should be dedicated to improving education.
Julia Ratti, the incumbent for State Senate District 13, passionately supports the School Tax, saying that improving education was a main issue for former Senator Debbie Smith (Ratti’s friend and mentor). If the measure passes, Ratti said she would love to name a school after the late senator who passed away in February after battling a brain tumor.
For more information regarding WC-1, visit https://www.washoecounty.us/voters/files/ballotquestions/16_wc1question_full.pdf.
Richard Jay says
Thank you for the support more importantly the 65,000 students of Washoe County thank you.