Last Thursday on June 1, 2023, City of Sparks’ longest-standing mayor Geno Martini died. The lifelong resident served on city council from 1999 until he became mayor in February 2005-November 2018 until the late Ron Smith took his place. He was 77.
During his time with the City, Mayor Martini was instrumental in helping build out the Sparks Marina, redevelop Victorian Square and Golden Eagle Regional Park, and see the Outlets at Legends come to life. He oversaw development in the northern part of the city, was instrumental in the North Truckee Drain realignment project, and worked with local entities to improve major roadways in Sparks. He served when the city was booming and during the Great Recession.
It didn’t matter if you were young or old, Republican or Democrat, everyone seemed to love Geno Martini, and he loved you back if you had an affinity for Sparks.
“We greatly appreciate Mayor Martini for the amazing and valuable work he did over the years,” current Sparks Mayor Ed Lawson said in a press release. “But more importantly, all of us here at the City loved and respected the man who could bring a smile to anyone’s face. Mayor Martini appreciated, loved, and respected City staff; and the feeling was mutual. To me personally, he was a mentor who always gave me encouragement and perspective.”
In 2018 when Martini left office, I had the pleasure of sitting down with him during his final days at City Hall. We talked about baseball, where to find the best pine nuts, and he told me about the time he caused a power outage in Sparks when he was a kid. I could’ve talked to him for hours.
Before that, though, I was impressed with the impact he made on city employees in his ability to make tough decisions while staying lighthearted. People called him “tenacious”, “a man of honor”, and most of all, he was committed to the community. He received several standing ovations at his Farewell Address, and City Councilwoman Charlene Bybee said, “You don’t have a big ego, everything you do is for the love of the city”.
Following the news of his death, City Councilmember Donald Abbott says, “He was an amazing human being”. Abbott joined the Sparks City Council in 2016 and had two years with Mayor Martini while in office.
“Geno was the second or third person to endorse me. Endorsements are a tricky thing that can go either way, but Geno’s endorsement was the heaviest and best one you could get if you were running for office during that time. There is a reason why he was in office for 13-and-a-half years and was the city’s longest serving mayor. So many people loved him, and he will forever be missed,” he adds.
One of the things Abbott misses most about the mayor was all the nicknames he gave everyone.
“He called Ed Lawson Fast Eddie because he was a pool shark. He called me Landslide because I won by .48 percent of the votes and it was furthest from the truth,” Abbott chuckled. “He called our Chief Financial Officer Jeff Cronk the grim reaper because he always showed up with bad news. He called our engineer Speedhump… he had nicknames for everyone.
“He was able to lighten the mood at contentious city council meetings- and at other meetings that he sat on the boards for. He brought people together…it didn’t matter what party lines you were on, he heard everyone out,” Abbott says.
“And Geno was the true Landslide; he won 78 percent of the votes in his last election.
“He remembered people’s names and their families. One lady called in and said that she ran into Geno and [his wife] Ruth at Western Village and she introduced him to her entire family. When they left, her family was like, ‘Who was that?’ and she replied that he was the mayor of Sparks.
“He is a fellow Railroader who graduated from Sparks High School in 1964. I only knew him for the time I’ve been in office, but he had such a large impact on my life,” Abbott adds.
One of the most touching things that Mayor Martini did for Abbott, though, was enlist a mutual friend to make sure that Abbott would be okay after his passing.
“Geno knew he was dying, and he knew that I was a big crybaby. Him watching out for me like that…that was who he was. People may not like us councilmembers, but everyone loved Geno. I’m grateful I got to meet and know the legend,” Abbott says.
A Celebration of Life for Geno Martini is tentatively planned for June 24 at 11 a.m. at The Rock Church on 4950 Vista Boulevard in Sparks. City Councilmember Donald Abbott is putting together a memorial video of him and encourages everyone to send their photos, videos, and memories to be included. Feel free to reach out to him at dabbott@cityofsparks.us.
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