BY MATT BIEKER
Is Coronavirus a real threat? ASKED AT THE TRUCKEE RIVER WALK. DANIEL VANDENBE RG Taco Bell Employee
I think it’s only a threat if we make it a threat. I’ve done personal research on it. I feel like everyone has because of how scary it is. … If we just keep calm and be aware of our surroundings and everything, it shouldn’t be, like, a big epidemic.
COLLEEN PETRINI Retiree
Yes. I think our president has downplayed it, and hopefully he’ll get it. Look at China. Look at Italy. You stock up and you prepare and everything, and if you don’t need it, good for you—and if you do, you got it.
JOSH RICHARDSON Traveling musician
City manager should help recruit replacement A Feb. 28 Reno Gazette Journal headline posed this There’s bad blood between Brekhus and Newby, question: “Should Reno city manager Sabra Newby as evidenced by the fact that Newby made efforts to recruit her replacement?” The short answer to that is limit Brekhus’ interactions with staff. (See, “Difficult yes, of course, she should. times,” editorial, Nov. 7, 2019.) Reno Mayor Hillary Newby, who became Reno’s city manager in 2017 Schieve implied that Brekhus and her treatment of staff and recently announced that she intends to leave were a motivation for Newby to resign, although the post in July, probably shouldn’t be the Newby’s resignation letter itself makes no sole decision-maker in the search—but such implications. she surely understands better than But here’s where Brekhus really Sabra anyone what the job entails and lost us: “If a city our size thinks Newby brought whatever qualities the best we’re just going to put an ad in the candidates will need. She brought newspaper for this, it makes us look stability to the stability to the role after her predelike a joke,” she said during the role after her cessor’s scandal-laden tenure. It meeting. would be foolish not to include her OK, now that’s just going predecessor’s in process. too far. scandal-laden Councilmember Jenny Brekhus We, of course, understand that advocated for excluding Newby from hiring for a job like city manager tenure. the recruitment and hiring process. She involves a degree of headhunting far says that hiring a national recruitment beyond a simple classified ad, but outfirm—at an expense of about $60,000 to Reno of-the-blue diss comments like that are a sure taxpayers—would lend credibility to the search. way to alienate us newspaper folks. Our paper depends Brekhus is often the lone voice of dissent on Reno’s on advertising revenue. It is not a joke. city council. It’s often great to have an obstinate skeptic The council seems to have settled on a hybrid on the council—especially when it comes time to resist approach which will rely on internal staff input and big-money developers or other corporate interests. At consultation with a national recruiter. Nice to see some other times, however, Brekhus’ default “nay” vote compromise. But it’s important that Newby, a compeseems to unnecessarily harm city staff. This seems to be tent civil servant who knows the job, has a lead role in one of those latter occasions. hiring her own replacement. Ω
I don’t know. Every couple of years there seems to be a new kind of something—like swine-flu or whatever. Every couple years there’s something to get everyone jumbled up and freaked out about something. This sounds like one of those.
CALISTA L ACY Student
I mean, yeah. Didn’t somebody just die in Washington? We’re probably in danger. It’s in California. I would like it if our president didn’t say it was a hoax. Do you think my medical insurance covers Coronavirus?
MICHAEL MORENO Business owner
I feel like probably, but it could be something to just get people’s minds on another thing. It’s just another headline, you know. It’s just another thing that we’re just focused on.
03.05.20
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