Sparks Mayor Geno Martini Delivers Farewell Address

Mayor Geno Martini gave his final State of the City/Farewell address on Thursday.

“It’s a bittersweet time for me,” Mayor Martini said. “I love this city and being Mayor for the past 13 and a half years has been the best job of my life. I wouldn’t have wanted to do anything else.”

Mayor Martini was appointed to the Sparks City Council in 1999, representing Ward 3. He was elected Mayor Pro Tempore by the City Council in 2003 and was sworn in as the Mayor in 2005 when then Mayor Tony Armstrong died while in office. Mayor Martini was elected to full terms in 2006, 2010 and 2014 and is currently the longest-serving Mayor of Sparks.

The North Truckee Drain Realignment, Victorian Square downtown redevelopment, Sparks Marina, Legends Mall, Golden Eagle Regional Park and the Pyramid McCarran Intersection are just a few of the important projects completed during Mayor Martini’s tenure.

Mayor Martini will officially leave office on November 13 during the Spark City Council meeting when Mayor-Elect Ron Smith is officially sworn in. Council members Ed Lawson (Ward 2), Charlene Bybee (Ward 4) and Sparks Municipal Court Judge Jim Spoo will also be sworn in that day.

The City is also planning an invitation-only farewell celebration for Mayor Martini on November 19 at the Nugget.

(City of Sparks contributed to this report.)