RENO, Nev. (KOLO) – Reno City Manager has issued a serious email to city staff after learning that at least one member of Reno Municipal Court has been vaccinated for staff and their families before Governor Steve Sisolak and the state’s enclosed schedule .
Doug Thornley said in an email to employees he was “shocked” and called the action “inappropriate”.
Thornley said in his email:
The deployment of the COVID vaccine has been frustrating for all of us. Nobody wants this team to be vaccinated, and that you can go to work more than I do. Although many of our public safety personnel have been vaccinated, it is frustrating for all of us not to know when it will be our turn. Your leadership team works with the health district, the governor’s office and other policy makers to ensure that our city employees – you – get on the line as quickly as possible.
But we must remember that our role is to serve the community, and that there is a published playbook to ensure that these vaccinations make it first for the most vulnerable people in the community. And however circular it may be, the Governor’s plan for this is clear: for most of us, it’s just not our time.
To those who have been vaccinated, I want to say this: I do not regret any employee taking the vaccine if the opportunity is presented by a member of our leadership at the city. You need to do what’s right for you and your family, and I’m glad some of our staff members have taken steps to protect themselves. Here you have no mistake, and you will receive the second dose of your vaccine on time.
However, this special treatment, which is not based on sound policies but on personal relationships, is inappropriate. I have been advocating for weeks that our staff should play a critical role in this community and that it should be vaccinated against a pandemic. Securing this privilege for one arm of our organization may be well-intentioned, but it undermines my ability to ensure that the entire team is protected in a timely manner.
In the first place, from Mayor Schieve to the front lines of our organization, we are guardians of public trust, and we must protect that trust. We cannot use our positions to take vaccines that are reserved at this stage of the game for people at greatest risk.
In the meantime, we will continue to advocate that City of Reno staff be put at the forefront of the vaccine’s distribution, and repair the damage this unfortunate incident caused.
Thank you for your patience and dedication, we will get through it together.
DRT
Click here to view the COVID-19 vaccination plan for the vaccine.
Copyright 2021 KOLO. All rights reserved.