Reinette is “stepping up”

“She is gone!” declared Nevada City clerk Niel Locke on Facebook.

Yes, Niel, “she” is gone. Longtime local Reinette Senum, the outgoing mayor, announced tonight she had declined to take her seat on the Nevada City City Council for her upcoming 4-year term.

“While I was voted in by majority last February, I will kindly decline my position on the Council for the 2024 term,” Reinette announced at the meeting, broadcast on YouTube (after some “technical difficulties” were resolved). “And while I am not stepping down, I am actually, interestingly enough, stepping up.

“I feel I can be of best service by focusing my energy on extending my reach to a broader audience, individuals who are equally concerned by these same issues and questions around the world.”

Reinette has won numerous awards for her service in town, such as the Elza Kilroy award and Lampert Award. She co-founded the Nevada City Farmers Market; was the first woman to cross Alaska alone; launched a “Goat Fund Me” campaign to fight wildfires that was in the L.A. Times; organized downtown beautification campaigns; and has organized crowd-funding campaigns for local businesses, among other things.

Reinette also rubbed some of the “old guard” in town and others the wrong way with her strong opinions — the latest being concerns about the mask mandate surrounding COVID-19. Some of her views were reported in out-of-town newspapers.

Wishing Reinette the best of luck and thanking her for her volunteerism in town.