Newly elected Sparks Councilmember Julia Ratti spent months campaigning and taking stock of work that is sorely needed in Ward 1. Having captured the vote Monday night, she'll now need to dive into the specifics of how city government works to help accomplish her goals.

"I fully understand I have a learning curve and need to get more in-depth knowledge of the city and how the departments work," Ratti said Wednesday.

Ratti may be Sparks' only newcomer to the city's political scene, but like others who ran for office, she reflects on the year that generated some intense interest in the direction of the city and Washoe County with longtime Council John Mayer on his way out, the embattled city attorney Chet Adams and the Washoe County Commission District 4 incumbent Bob Larkin challenged by two opponents.

Ratti, who was challenged by retired educator Larry Wilson for Ward 1, said she'll begin her work in office by building relationships with the councilmembers and already has identified key areas she would like to pursue.

"I definitely am interested in working on downtown redevelopment," Ratti said. "I would like to see us be more proactive on code enforcement, targeting absentee landlords and properties dragging down the neighborhoods."

Ratti will take her oath of office along with the other councilmembers at Monday's regular city council meeting but said she'll have to wait until the council's Dec. 1 retreat to find out to which boards and commissions she will be assigned, which she said will "help me target my energy."

Chet Adams retains his position as Sparks' city attorney after his race against attorney Neil Grad. Adams said he received a tremendous amount of support from the community during his campaign.

"I'm extremely appreciative of the support the voters have given me and entrusted me to protect the city's legal interests for another term," he said.

Adams said there is still plenty of work for him. Improving the victims program to prevent abuse of the elderly remains a top priority, he said.

"There's a subset in our community that abuses the elderly that we need to be aware of and train our advocates on and our prosecutors need to follow up on," Adams said.

He would also continue work on the city's Sales Tax Anticipated Revenue (STAR) bonds with RED Development.

Of course, the proposed Lazy 8 hotel casino project remains a hot topic in Sparks and four lawsuits are still pending.

"That has led to a practical problem: Because of the lawsuit, funding has become problematic," Adams said. "The prices of steel and the economy...probably don't make it as attractive."

Adams said he looks forward to working with Ratti.

"It's probably one of the best things about my job, especially with working with the council," he said. "Incoming Councilmember Ratti is very interested in the process and very concerned about the appropriate procedures to be followed."

Grad, on the other hand, was disappointed with the outcome, asserting that Adams did not use clean campaign tactics. As a former Sparks assistant city attorney, when Adams was his boss, Grad has disapproved of Adams' allegations of professional misconduct and had hoped to turn things around in the office.

"I'm disappointed that so many people bought him because the proof is there – the documents, the checks, his behavior," Grad said. "I guess nobody cares."

After spending time campaigning with neighborhood walks and radio advertising, Grad said he was flattered by some voters' comments.

"I was honored when I would go to church events and they said, 'We need someone with integrity in that office.' That really touched my heart."

Grad said he would have expanded the victims program, blaming Adams and his staff for the suffering of victims. He said he also would have sought ways to cut spending in the city attorney's office.

Grad said he will continue to remain involved in community activities and to support larger businesses and leaders, but for now will focus on rebuilding his law practice.

"The only reason I decided to run here is because I saw Mr. Adams' corruption," he said. "I was asked by several city councilmen to run. I couldn't let it go unaddressed. Many people thanked me for my courage of taking him on."

He then praised Sparks and its city employees.

"Sparks is a wonderful city," he said. "We have a wonderful city manager and the staff, for the most part, are tremendously hard-working and capable people.

Like Grad, other candidates who were shy of the votes needed to be seated had plans had they had a successful run.

Gary Schmidt, candidate for Washoe County Commission District 4 against incumbent Bob Larkin, said he had a difficult time capturing Republican attention. He campaigned on a platform of open government and sprawl growth paying its own way through impact fees.

"There has to be an end (to sprawl growth) or we'll look like Los Angeles," Schmidt said. "The issues are there; they're just going to get worse."

He blamed the results partly on the lack of education given to younger and first-time voters, whom he said voted for the top races but didn't finish their ballots down to the local issues and candidates.

Together with the third opponent, Terry Tiernay, Schmidt said they both would have defeated Larkin by the numbers, who received less than 50 percent of the vote.

He said he's disappointed with the "Larkin/(David) Humke)/(Bonnie) Weber combination" in the county commission.

Schmidt said he may consider a run for State Sen. Bernice Mathews' seat when her term is up, but until then, he wants to devote his time to personal issues that were left behind during the course of Schmidt's heavy campaigning.

Larkin could not be reached for comment Wednesday.