When Citizens Speak, Reese Attacks: A Pattern of Bullying from City Hall
Attacking citizens who speak out is an ongoing tactic from Devon Reese. A citizen sent me an email thread between her and, Reese and it is shocking.
Attacking citizens who speak out is an ongoing tactic from Devon Reese. A citizen sent me an email thread between her and, Reese and it is shocking.
Nov 03, 2025
Reese wants to be the Mayor of Reno. One of the clearest measures of leadership is how elected officials respond to criticism. Do they address the issue raised, or do they turn the spotlight on the person raising it? Reno City Councilmember Devon Reese has developed a troubling pattern: when confronted by citizens, he doesn't debate the policy — he attacks the constituent, calls them names, and shames them.
The Beth Dory Emails
More recently, Beth Dory, a Ward 5 property owner, wrote to Reese with a straightforward concern: her ward had never held a Neighborhood Advisory Board (NAB) meeting on the proposed Accessory Dwelling Unit (ADU) zoning amendment. She requested that the city provide a clear map and gather constituent input before proceeding with writing an ordinance.
Reese later held a NAB meeting, but it was held at City Hall, which is inconvenient for residents, but gives him a sense of safety.
🏡 Backyard Units Are Coming: They Are Not Affordable Housing
Deflection
Instead of addressing her concerns, Reese turned the exchange personal.
"Shaun – thanks for your inquiry. Please continue to post pictures of my home and backyard – super effective advocacy!"
Reese is accusing Dory of being "Shaun Mullin," a poster on Nextdoor that calls out issues with the city and with Reese.
That set the tone. Instead of debating ADUs, Reese mocked her activism.
Reese ignores the issues that residents care about while deflecting and attacking.
Behind the Complaints: The Real Issues Reno Voters Face
Escalation
Rather than a substantive answer, Reese escalated with hyperbole:
"Gaslighting won't win you any points with me, not when elected officials are being murdered and set on fire in this country."
When Dory pressed him on women's safety downtown, noting she and many others don't feel comfortable walking alone at night, Reese didn't take the concern seriously.
Dory wrote: "Most women don't feel safe (I don't) walking alone around the block in downtown Reno at 8:00 pm. When will women be able to feel safe walking downtown again?"
And when Dory pushed back against his evasions, Reese added ridicule:
"All three [my mother and children] have however expressed concern about your posting our family's home online… perhaps you will think of their safety the next time the Leprechaun wants to lash out online."
Reese lives in Somersett, behind two locked and guarded gates, and is protected by license plate readers and surveillance drones. It is the safest neighborhood in Reno.
The Safest and Most Dangerous Places in Reno, NV: Crime Maps and Statistics
Intimidation
By the end of the exchange, Dory was so discouraged she declined to attend the public meeting:
"With these attacks, I don't feel comfortable going to the meeting tonight."
That chilling effect is precisely what the First Amendment is designed to prevent.
The Van Zee Example
Earlier this summer, longtime resident Steve Van Zee provided information to This Is Reno about how the city has mishandled its Landscape Maintenance Districts. When Van Zee raised these concerns, Reese responded not with engagement but with belittlement.
Van Zee reported being publicly dismissed and privately insulted, despite his years of research on a topic of fundamental importance to taxpayers.
Rather than grappling with the policy failures surrounding landscape maintenance, Reese zeroed in on Van Zee himself, undermining his credibility and character rather than addressing the evidence.
When a Citizen Speaks Up, and a Councilmember Shuts Him Down
The Pattern
Both Van Zee and Dory share one thing in common: they raised policy issues that deserved thoughtful responses.
Van Zee: How the city manages taxpayer money in its Landscape Maintenance Districts.
Dory: whether wards 5 & 6 had fair representation before a citywide zoning change, and whether downtown is safe for women.
And in both cases, Reese avoided the issues and instead attacked the people. He accused citizens of impersonation, mocked their appearance, ridiculed their tone, and amplified the conflict by CC'ing city staff into his personal disputes.
Reese's replies are unprofessional, sarcastic, and personal — unusual for an elected official in written correspondence.
Instead of addressing the policy issue (ADU hearings, public safety, constituent rights), he made it about himself, his family, and alleged impersonation.
His inclusion of multiple city staff CC'd into these exchanges amplifies the sense of intimidation — effectively making a private citizen's concerns into a spectacle before bureaucrats.
Why It Matters
This isn't just thin skin. It's a matter of public trust. Citizens have a First Amendment right to criticize their elected officials, even sharply. The government's role is to listen, respond, and, when possible, improve policy.
When a councilmember consistently lashes out instead of engaging, the chilling effect is noticeable: fewer citizens will speak up. Those who do may be met with public embarrassment instead of public service.
If Reese behaves this way as a councilmember, the implications of him seeking higher office — including mayor — are even more serious. Reno cannot afford a leader who treats dissent as a personal attack instead of an opportunity to govern better.
Closing Thought
The people of Reno are not asking for much: transparency, fairness, and safety. When citizens raise these concerns, they deserve answers — not insults. Reese's consistent pattern of attacking constituents reveals more about his temperament than theirs. And it raises a fundamental question: if he can't handle criticism from everyday residents, how could he ever lead the city as mayor?
The CARES Campus: When Public Relations Becomes Public Policy
How Pat Hickey and the Abbi Agency’s messaging shapes Reno’s homelessness narrative
How Pat Hickey and the Abbi Agency’s messaging shapes Reno’s homelessness narrative
Oct 20, 2025
A story about a robin — and a press strategy
In his October 14 column, “Homeless people have a place to go in Northern Nevada,” longtime political figure and columnist Pat Hickey paints a gentle picture of Reno’s Cares Campus — a place of compassion where “broken-wing robins” find safety and care.
It’s a heart-warming read: a childhood story, a moral lesson, and praise for civic cooperation. Hickey thanks Washoe County, the Volunteers of America, Catholic Charities, and Karma Box for offering “a cul-de-sac of care” that, according to developer Par Tolles, has reduced homelessness along the Truckee River by more than 40 percent.
But beneath that tone of empathy lies something more strategic: a public-relations narrative written from inside the PR industry itself.
Abbi Holman Whitaker, Pat Hickey, and Reno Mayor Hillary Schieve share a moment to celebrate at the signing after the publication of his book that includes them.
The undisclosed affiliation
Pat Hickey isn’t just a columnist. He works as an agent for The Abbi Agency, the Reno-based marketing and communications firm founded by Abbi Whitaker Holman.
The agency holds public contracts with Washoe County, EDAWN, Travel Nevada, and other civic entities that help shape public perception of redevelopment and homelessness policy.
So when Hickey praises the Cares Campus as “one of the largest and cleanest homeless shelters in America,” he’s not simply sharing an observation — he’s advancing a narrative his employer helps manage.
There’s no disclosure of that connection in the RGJ op-ed.
The CARES Campus is the number one place that the police are called to in Reno.
According to this article, from This is Reno, from June 20, 2024, Service requests for homeless issues increasing,
“In April of this year, city staff responded to 250 calls for service related to unsheltered individuals and 220 reports of occupied vehicles. Three years prior — and one month before the opening of the 549-bed Nevada Cares Campus — the city responded to just 114 calls for service.”
A “cul-de-sac of care” or a cul-de-sac of containment?
The phrase “cul-de-sac of care,” borrowed from Par Tolles, sounds comforting, but it’s also revealing.
It recasts containment as compassion: sweep the encampments, clear the bridges, move everyone into a supervised facility, and call it progress.
Reality is more complicated.
Washoe County’s own data show roughly 1,700 homeless individuals in 2025, numbers that have held steady or even increased since before the pandemic.
Reports from the Cares Campus include safety incidents, drug use, and chronic overcrowding.
🧨 Hidden in Plain Sight: The Crime We're Not Allowed to Talk About
The CAREs Campus is not housing; it’s bunk beds in common areas. People staying on campus get out during the day and wander about town. We don’t know the extent of the crime that they are involved in because it isn’t tracked by their housing situation.
Reality Check: The “40 % Reduction” Claim
The statistic Hickey cites that Cares Campus reduced homelessness along the Truckee River by over 40 percent appears nowhere in HUD counts, Washoe County dashboards, or the 2024 Point-in-Time survey.
It likely refers to a reduction in visible encampments, not in total homelessness. That’s a cosmetic metric, not a systemic one.
🧹 The Never-Ending Challenge for Reno's Downtown Ambassadors
The homeless leave the CARES Campus and wander out around downtown, leaving a trail of garbage that the Ambassadors struggle with every day.
Moral framing over material reality
Hickey closes with quotes from Mother Teresa and Charles Murray, urging readers to fight “the poverty of being unwanted” by fixing our own families first.
That’s touching — and convenient.
By shifting focus from housing shortages, wage stagnation, and treatment gaps to moral failings and family decline, the column absolves policymakers of structural responsibility.
It’s an appeal to conscience that costs nothing, which is precisely why it’s so effective.
The Fireside Market: Policing Crime by Regulating Shelves and Blaming Businesses
The City of Reno tried to shut down the Fireside Market due to police calls, but the number of calls is far lower than the CAREs Campus, and most of the calls were not for disturbances inside the market, but were on the street or related to the bus station.
The feel-good feedback loop
Hickey’s piece fits neatly within the county’s larger communications strategy:
Promote success stories from Cares Campus to counter negative coverage.
Highlight collaboration between government, business, and faith groups.
Reframe enforcement as compassion to get the feel-good vote.
It’s the same playbook the Abbi Agency has executed for tourism, redevelopment, and now homelessness messaging — branding progress rather than proving it.
A pattern worth watching
There’s no crime in promoting civic optimism. But when paid communicators use media platforms to shape policy narratives without disclosure, it becomes a conflict of public trust.
Washoe County residents deserve transparency about who’s framing the conversation — and why.
Otherwise, Reno’s homelessness policy risks becoming what marketing folks call “earned media”: polished stories designed to make everyone feel good while sidestepping the more complex questions.
Closing thought
Pat Hickey’s robin story ends with the bird flying away. But Reno’s story isn’t that simple. Until the people at the Cares Campus have their situation in order and have real homes to fly to, not just a cleaner cage, the story remains unfinished.
Downtown Soccer Fields are the New Neon Line Distraction but Where is the Infrastructure?
A City Hall pivot, a disappearing neighborhood, and a promise of tournaments but nothing else. Jacobs Entertainment does another slight-of-hand play in West Reno.
A City Hall pivot, a disappearing neighborhood, and a promise of tournaments but nothing else. Jacobs Entertainment does another slight-of-hand play in West Reno.
Oct 28, 2025
Let’s rewind to Wednesday afternoon inside Reno City Hall. Jacobs Entertainment is at the podium again. Not to explain what happened to the housing they promised. Not to show progress on all the land they leveled.
The presentation was about the continuing remodel of the J Resort. They gave an update on the art installations and talked about charging stations and the concerts at the Glow Plaza and Festival Grounds, but beyond that, not much.
Then they pivoted, and the rest of the presentation was about proposed youth sports and playing fields. Twelve new youth sports fields! Lacrosse too! Tournaments! Visitors! Energy! Tourism! Heads in beds!
Councilmembers smiled politely. Local media wrote glowing headlines. It felt like a pep rally. But outside, a few blocks away, the flattened remains of what used to be a neighborhood sit behind fences. The lots are empty. The promises are too.
This is the moment where residents are supposed to forget what came before. We’re supposed to pivot right along with Jacobs. Accepting the buzz of shiny new possibilities, but without much in the way of a plan.
Jacobs Promised Housing. People got displaced
Three years ago, the sales pitch was different.
Jacobs would bring new housing to downtown. More residents. More life. More community. The West 2nd Street neighborhood would be reborn into a dignified, modern, and vibrant community.
So tenants were bought out or pushed out. Buildings were bulldozed. Motels vanished almost overnight. And then… nothing. Except for the 245 Arlington Apartments. No housing. No mixed-use buildings. No rebirth.
Just parking lots, a Glow Plaza, and a Festival Grounds waiting for events that draw fewer people than promised.
Jacobs Neon Line: Promises Unfulfilled in West Reno
Where are the results for Phase One
If Jacobs wants applause for Phase Two, they should show results for Phase One:
• Where is the housing?
• Where is the neighborhood?
• Where is the follow-through?
Reno has been burned before by big visions that never quite materialize. We shouldn’t let “kids playing soccer” become a shield that protects a developer from accountability.
Promise anything loudly enough, and some people will stop asking whether you ever delivered the last thing you said.
Jacobs Entertainment may see this as a pivot. Residents deserve to see it as a pattern.
The $2 Billion Mirage: Has Jeff Jacobs’ Downtown Reno Vision Stalled?
Now They Promise Playing Fields
The presentation was full of exciting phrases:
“Walking distance of J Resort,”
“Land secured for four sites,”
“Twelve fields in six years.”
What’s missing is:
• Exact parcel listings,
• Economic analysis,
• Land acquisition transparency,
• Explanation of public access rules.
No One Answered These Questions
Why will teams come when Reno isn’t a youth sports destination? There are other well-known destinations such as Grand Park (Westfield, IN), opened in June 2014, Publix Sports Park + Frank Brown Park (Panama City Beach, FL), opened in 2019, and Cedar Lane Regional Park (Harford County, MD), opened in 2008, and many more, see this article, Six Youth Sports Facilities Producing Major Economic Impact.
How can Jacobs hold tournaments without supporting infrastructure beyond simple sports fields? It’s not likely. Other venues have field houses, event centers, locker rooms, showers, and toilets, which are necessary for tournaments.
How will Jacobs ramp up attendance so quickly when other destinations have taken years to attract tournaments? They won’t. It takes years. They won’t have enough fields for a major tournament for several years.
What is the income potential from the sports fields? They haven’t done projections beyond throwing out a few numbers, and I won’t since there is too much information missing to do a credible job.
Will the sports fields sustain Jacobs’ development in Reno? It’s not possible to determine, as Jacobs doesn’t provide any income projections and doesn’t publish its accounting records.
Jacobs says Trust us
They want the City to give public legitimacy to a plan that is little more than a concept slide deck. Reno can’t keep trading commitments for colorful renderings.
Let’s be clear: youth sports are great. Soccer fields are needed. Lacrosse players deserve space, too. “Trust us” is not a development plan.
Until a road map exists, this isn’t a development plan. It’s marketing.
It might work out for local teams to practice and play, but national tournaments!
How Reno Lost Its Opportunity for a Modern Neon Line Resort
City staff didn’t speak. Council flew blind
This was supposed to be an accountability check-in.
The City Council was entitled to know whether Jacobs had:
• Complied with conditions of the Glow Plaza permit
• Met housing and community development benchmarks
• Honored timelines written into the Development Agreement
When the City can’t assess performance, a developer can redefine “progress” however they want. That’s how “housing” quietly morphs into “hotel-driven soccer tourism.”
This might be the most alarming part. At the October Council meeting, Jacobs chose the agenda item. Jacobs gave the presentation. Jacobs controlled the narrative.
When the City asks for nothing, a developer can claim anything.
Reno City Council Meeting 10-22-25
You can watch the Jacobs presentation at 1:30 in this meeting recording.
The Story That the Local Media Missed
The headlines all sounded the same:
“Jacobs bringing youth sports boom to Reno!”
“Positive investment downtown!”
“Great news for families!”
No one asked:
• Why this pitch arrived only after the housing plan stalled
• Why rough ideas are treated as guaranteed outcomes
• Why the City didn’t get a staff analysis
• Why does every Jacobs promise arrive with a camera crew before a development plan
Cheerleading is cheaper than journalism, and that is what the local press does.
Reno can Love Youth Sports and Demand Good Governance
This isn’t about opposing sports fields. This is about requiring the same basic performance standards that every homeowner, small business, and nonprofit in this City must meet daily.
Jacobs has a 20-year Development Agreement. We are 3 years into the plan, and Jacobs is 8 years into the Neon Line project. Let’s get this right.
The City and the public should ask for:
An economic analysis of the project and its impact on Reno.
A parcel map of all 12 proposed fields
A detailed timeline for construction
A maintenance and access plan guaranteeing local usage
A fundamental public oversight role before major pivots are endorsed
Kids deserve fields. Residents deserve results. Reno deserves both.
Because every time a developer promises Reno the world, the public deserves to know whether they’re showing us a future or a mirage.
How a Las Vegas Investment Group Shattered a Reno Community Hub
When rent becomes the only measure of value, what disappears isn’t just a business, it’s a community’s sense of home and the places that they value.
When rent becomes the only measure of value, what disappears isn’t just a business, it’s a community’s sense of home and the places that they value.
Oct 14, 2025
The Sale That Changed Everything
For decades, the Moana West Shopping Center, a cluster of modest storefronts along 3350 - 3480 Lakeside Drive anchored by Swill Coffee + Wine, Zozo’s Ristorante, and Lakeside Bar & Grill, as well as Ben’s Liquor and Wine, was one of Reno’s familiar neighborhood corners. The parking lot was always full, the patios were busy, and the businesses were rooted in the community.
That stability ended on March 28, 2025, when the property sold for $10.75 million to a Las Vegas company acquiring the property as Local Moana LLC.
Public records from the Washoe County Assessor’s Office show that the buyer’s mailing address — 3900 S. Hualapai Way, Suite 200, Las Vegas — belongs to Local Asset Management, a commercial real estate investment firm founded by Brendan Keating and Agus Alamsjah, who worked through Logic Commercial Real Estate. Northern Nevada Business Weekly reported the deal on May 13, 2025.
Their business model is simple: acquire older, undervalued neighborhood centers, fix them up, and raise rents to reflect “market value.” It’s a classic strategy, designed to deliver returns of 6–7% annually to investors.
The purchase price tells the story. When the center was last sold in 2006, Reno investor Jacqueline E. Nightingale transferred ownership to Moana West Shopping Center, LLC for roughly $6.3 million. Nineteen years later, Local Moana LLC paid nearly $4.5 million more — a 70% increase — and expects higher rents.
To meet its financial targets, the new owner needs to collect roughly $900,000 a year in rent, equivalent to $1.70 per square foot per month. Longtime tenants like Swill Coffee and Zozo’s Ristorante, still paying older lease rates near $1.00–$1.25 per square foot, suddenly faced the prospect of rent hikes approaching 50–70%.
For Local Moana LLC and its parent firm Local Asset Management, the logic is financial. If they can re-tenant or reprice every space in the center at new market rates, the property’s income could jump from about $600,000 to nearly $1 million per year. That increase would immediately raise the property’s value from $10.75 million to around $14–15 million, allowing the investor to refinance or resell at a profit.
A Beloved Café Forced Out
Swill Coffee + Wine, founded in 2014, had become a cultural landmark. It hosted open-mic nights, poetry readings, and business meetups like 1 Million Cups. On any given morning, its tables are filled with writers, students, retirees, and city staffers. Swill wasn’t just a café — it was one of Reno’s last true “third places.”
That made the news of its closure all the more painful. On October 13, Swill announced on Facebook that it would soon close its doors, citing unsustainable rent increases under the new ownership. The post triggered an avalanche of comments — hundreds within hours.
“This is absolutely devastating. My home away from home. What can we do?” wrote Councilmember Naomi Duerr.
“It was never just about the coffee,” said longtime customer Pam Morrison. “It was the two of you and your special staff. We were all family.”
Others were more direct: “All the greedy landlords force small businesses to close. We are the backbone of this community,” posted Debbie Cox.
Even other café owners weighed in. “This is getting to be unacceptable for small businesses,” wrote Scot Munns from Darkshot Coffee. GloryCloud Coffee’s owner added, “We are very bummed out about all the rent problems smashing small businesses. This stinks!!!”
The outpouring revealed something more profound — not just sadness, but rage and disbelief that a visibly successful local café could be priced out by rent increases tied to a Wall Street-style investment formula.
The Domino Effect
With Swill leaving, the community loses a major draw that benefited neighboring businesses. Foot traffic will fall. Zozo’s Ristorante, a longtime Italian restaurant, relies on the same shared parking and customer flow. If it faces similar rent hikes when its lease renews, it could be the next to go. The Lakeside Bar & Grill, a breakfast staple, is equally vulnerable.
Once these locally owned anchors depart, investors often recruit regional or national chains willing to pay higher rents — a Starbucks instead of Swill, a Panera instead of Lakeside Grill. The center becomes more “stable” on paper but less connected to the neighborhood that sustained it.
Here is what LOGIC Commercial Real Estate wrote on their LinkedIn:
Our team identified Moana West Shopping Center, a staple in the Old Southwest submarket, as a target investment opportunity over 5 years ago. After multiple off-market offers over the years, the owner contacted us with interest in our latest offer. The catch? We had a month to get the deal done.
Thanks to the sophistication and flexibility of the buyer, Local Asset Management, and the drive and expertise of our team, we were able to get to a successful closing for both parties. Congratulations to Local on another great northern Nevada acquisition!
A City’s Identity at Stake
What’s happening on Lakeside isn’t unique — it’s part of a broader pattern in Reno’s redevelopment. As the city’s property values surge, outside investors are acquiring older shopping centers, raising rents, and pushing out local operators in favor of standardized tenants. The result is a quieter form of gentrification — not luxury towers, but incremental displacement of community anchors.
“Reno will be diminished without you guys,” wrote one resident. “Seeing local businesses like Swill close is heartbreaking,” said another. Those comments reflect a growing unease: that the soul of Reno is being sold one lease at a time.
What Comes Next
The closure of Swill Coffee + Wine is a cautionary tale. It’s not simply about one café’s struggle; it’s a glimpse of what happens when local economics collide with investment strategies. For the community, it means fewer gathering places and fewer chances for local entrepreneurs to thrive. For tenants, it’s a warning that long-standing leases no longer guarantee stability. And for city leaders, it’s a reminder that unchecked commercial speculation can erode the very character that makes Reno desirable to begin with.
Unless the city develops policies to protect small businesses — or at least incentivize landlords to preserve locally owned spaces — this story will repeat itself across Midtown, Plumb Lane, and Virginia Street.
Because when rent becomes the only measure of value, what disappears isn’t just a business. It’s a community’s sense of home. What do you think? Do we need to do something about out-of-town investors destroying our neighborhoods?