Sparks Council Fires City Manager

Appointed as the Fire Chief for the City of Sparks on November 28, 2022, Mark Smith found himself out of a job just a week into his tenure.

Sparks City Manager Neil Krutz, citing alleged pending criminal charges against Smith, abruptly terminated him despite Smith’s protestations of innocence. However, investigations into the matter, including a wrongful termination lawsuit initiated by Smith, revealed the disturbing truth.

Smith’s termination was not a result of any wrongdoing on his part but rather a calculated maneuver orchestrated by Krutz and other city officials to install a less-qualified candidate favored by political allies.
The crux of the conspiracy lay in the clandestine dealings between Krutz and his ally, Walt White, who initially declined the Fire Chief position only to resurface when Smith’s appointment was imminent.

Leveraging a supposed investigation by the Attorney General’s office from 2021, Krutz concocted a pretext to oust Smith and pave the way for White’s ascension. Yet, the tangled web of deceit unraveled as legal proceedings unfolded.

After the AG’s office, headed by Aaron Ford, four charges, all incorrect and later dismissed, were levied against Smith in a deal that still appears to look like a case of C-Y-A between Ford’s office and Krutz’s office.

According to court documents, Smith’s termination came about on false pretenses, with Krutz even resorting to defamatory tactics such as releasing a misleading video on YouTube.

Krutz survived a termination vote by the Sparks City Council on Monday, May 8. Despite attempts to cover his tracks, his tenure ended ignominiously with his termination for cause on Tuesday, September 5.