Back It Up or Back It Off

As many of you know, I write hard-hitting articles that are critical of issues and actions here in Storey County that I believe merit such attention.

Based on recent actions from Team Storey, some of these articles are hitting close to the mark. In the May 1st Storey County Commissioners meeting Commission Chair Marshall McBride alluded to misinformation and downright lies made by “would be journalists and bloggers”. In the issue of the Comstock Comical that followed the meeting, he revealed the names of the offending blogs as bardeblog.com and this very site you are reading. He also called Sam Toll and Nicole Barde liars.

That’s Not How I Roll

The Comical was kind enough to print my letter to the editor answering Commissioner McBride’s libelous skree. If I was less like me and more like Commissioner Gilman, I would sue McBride for hurt feelers and permanent damage to my tender mercies.

Unlike the frangible Commissioner Gilman, I’m not that guy.

I am, however, disappointed in Commissioner McBride. When he refused to buckle under the relentless pressure to sign the recall effort of Sheriff Antinoro, he showed some character by choosing to remain above the fray. I have talked to many people who have changed their minds about that character upon reading his smallminded aspersions and not backing them up or retracting them when fronted out.

Calling me a liar for reporting the truth only shows how afraid of the truth you and your ever shrinking circle of cronies are.

November can’t come soon enough.

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Letter To The Editor

Commissioner McBride took to the front page of the Chronicle last week accusing me of spreading misinformation and lies. I went to the Bucket to ask him about his accusations, and an energetic conversation ensued. During our conversation, Commissioner McBride shared his opinion of my writing. However, he would not tell me specifically what he read on The Storey Teller was a lie.

I suspect he was referring to an article I wrote about the record $1.6 billion in taxable sales FY 2016-17. According to the Nevada Department of Taxation, Storey County sales tax revenues actually fell in FY2016-17 compared to FY2015-16 despite this record increase.

Unless the data provided inside audited annual reports from the Department of Taxation are in error, this is an indisputable fact.

I wrote another article illustrating how the County’s tentative FY 2018-2019 Budget, obtained from Storey County’s website, had a nearly $2 million dollar shortfall. I identified the numbers were from the tentative budget and promised a followup article once the final budget was released.

As the facts illustrate in both articles, C Street is not awash with TRIC cash as we have been lead to believe. The tentative budget shows projected revenues are expected to be below 2014 levels while expenses are projected to be up 32% over the same period.

If Commissioner McBride wants to take umbrage with my opinions, I encourage him to do so. If he calls me a liar on the front page and on the record, he’d better back it up with facts.

I recently wrote an article about Scott Jolcover that was inaccurate. Upon learning of my mistake, I immediately wrote a correction, issued an apology to Mr. Jolcover in person, in writing, and on the record at a commissioner meeting.

If Commissioner McBride thinks what I wrote was inaccurate, I ask that he show me exactly where the numbers are inaccurate and I’ll issue a retraction and an apology.

I ask Commissioner McBride to provide me the same courtesy; prove I was wrong or issue an apology here and on the record at the next Commissioners meeting.