In a display equal to the City of Reno’s political theater, Washoe County has conveniently buried an agenda item until 2025 – just in time for County Manager Eric Brown's annual review. How convenient that pesky resident complaints won't mar today's coronation ceremony.

The timing is about as subtle as a sledgehammer. Item 20, which promised to be ripe for public criticism, mysteriously vanished from the agenda following Brown's eleventh-hour email. Commissioner Mike Clark confirmed the postponement, citing the ever-reliable "staff suggestions" – a transparent excuse that fools precisely no one.

As Eric Brown's annual review is tomorrow, Washoe County has conveniently "revised" its evaluation criteria – presumably to mask another year of mismanagement behind a façade of independence. The only thing more remarkable than Brown's list of failures is the chorus of commissioners rushing to applaud them.

We watched Commission Chair Alexis Hill master the art of agenda gymnastics! At Tuesday's - December 10, 2024 - meeting, she pirouetted through items faster than a politician dodging questions, strategically punting decisions until her reliable voting buddy Commissioner Garcia returns from absence. Talk about choreography – with what would be a 2-2 split, Hill and her mini-me Andriola against Clark and Herman, Hill wasn't about to risk the agenda tie votes to have to have repeat performances.

These signs are posted throughout our Washoe County libraries, thus it must have the approval of Library Director Jeff Scott. Has Scott gotten permission from the Washoe County Library Trustees to post this signage to instill confusion and stress for Washoe County residents of less library hours, less days open, less library employees, etc.

Remember when libraries were sanctuaries of learning and hope? Places where children discovered magical worlds and seniors found quiet comfort? Today, in Washoe County, something has changed.

While Herb Kaplan from the District Attorney's office keeps a less-than-watchful eye over Library Director Jeff Scott's decisions, our community's cherished spaces are being transformed into billboards of anxiety. The question echoing through our reading rooms: Why?

Are the widely publicized "budget cuts" at the Washoe County Library System as severe as portrayed? Executive Director Jeff Scott's warnings about losing 22 staff members, cutting hours, and other dire consequences deserve closer scrutiny. Are his comments factual? We don’t know.

Despite knowing the $4.5 million in funding was at risk, there's been no transparent sharing of budget analyses or alternative scenarios from Executive Director Scott. While Scott controls the system's messaging and media narrative, taxpayers and library patrons remain in the dark about actual financial planning.

The great and powerful Commissioner Alexis Hill has been reelected to the Washoe County Commission District 1 giving her another four years to continue to remove residents’ voices.

Right, Hill wanted you to vote for her but now the peon’s voices must be silent. Basically, Hill doesn’t want to hear from you, your thoughts, or ideas. And who’s helping her with her public comment lockdown the Washoe County District Attorney Chris Hicks.

You’re kidding, right? Voters didn’t understand the ballot measure, oh come on. Now you’re insulting voters intelligence.

Voters understood exactly what they were voting for, and vote they did to defeat the WC1.

The library smackdown continues as Director Jeff Scott's doomsday predictions - shuttered buildings, mass staff exodus, and a limited-day workweek - fall flat after WC1's surprise defeat. His confident choir of supporters, who practically had the victory party planned, are now oddly quiet. One burning question remains: In all that time spent working on passing WC1, was there no worst-case scenarios, did anyone bother drafting a Plan B?

Picon literally laughed out loud last week when Nevada Secretary of State Cisco Aguilar came out with his “Electioneering” Memo – how about way too little way too late. We have simply been to busy this week until today to get to this story.

For weeks there were signs outside polling location that were printed with “Vote for Democrats” and no one was turning them in, people were posting photos of the sigs on social media asking where they were coming from but no one was getting them taken down because they seemed not to know who to complain to. Next time folks go to the Washoe County Registrar of Voters.  

Washoe District 2 Commissioner Mike Clark went on a dais rant at the Tuesday, August 20, 2024, Board of County Commissioner meeting inquiring, “Do I have to lawyer up here?”

Picon found this an interesting list of lawyers from Washoe County Government Board of County Commissioner’s Meeting tomorrow, August 20, 2024.

Look at Agenda Item 10.E.1 – Recommendation to approve the revised Pro Term Justice of the Peace panel for the Justice Courts pursuant to NRS 4.032; and approve the same list to serve as potential Administrative Enforcement Code Hering Offices pursuant to Washoe County Code 125.225.

Okay, Picon will admit to sometimes being frustrated by Jenny Brekhus over these many years when she has taken us down the path of doing what is right for the City of Reno residents.

Is it frustrating listing to Councilmember Brekhus trying to hold us all to a higher standard, yes.

Is it exhausting, and sometimes you want to side with her foes, one wants to shout, “Jenny, can you just let it go.”  

Brekhus has been a champion of the residents of Reno since the day she was elected. No one can dispute that.

Where’s the appeal?

You know the one Wendy Damonte promised us on July 24, 2024, after the Washoe Open Space and Regional Parks Commission voted against the soccer stadium at South Valley’s Regional Park. Spunky, former television anchor, Wendy Damonte, bounded out of the Washoe Parks meeting and commented to the two television stations bivouacked in the county complex lobby, that “they expected this” and certainly illuded to the fact they would be moving forward with the next steps. The only “step” left for Damonte and Bob Enzenberger on behalf of For Our Fans Foundation is to appeal the Washoe Open Space and Regional Parks Commissioner’s decision to the Washoe County Commissioners.

Marie Baxter, Chief Executive Officer of Catholic Charities of Northern Nevada was on KOLOTV with Rebecca Kitchen, Wednesday, July 31, 2024, talking about their need for volunteers to serve food at the Nevada Cares Campus to the homeless.

Picon sometimes is shocked by what City of Reno, City of Sparks, and Washoe County Government employees are called upon to do and we question why they do it.

Picon is clearly confused, but that would be nothing new.

We received an email forwarded by Commissioner Mike Clark yesterday regarding the decision by the Washoe County WVC Workplace Violence Committee to cease hosting PRIDE events at the Washoe County Libraries.

Picon found the comments made by Troy Regus during public comment at the Washoe County Board of County Commissioners meeting today interesting.

We’ve been trying to track the disappearance of the former Director of Washoe County Human Services Agency Amber Howell who went missing in April 2023. We keep checking milk cartons. When anyone inquired about Howell, Washoe County hid behind human resources as they always do, unable to release any information.

We have written a lot about the Nevada Cares Campus and realized at one point it would take a number of people coming forward to hopefully get true investigations started.

On May 28, 2024, the Washoe County Commission was the setting for a woman to come forward and disclose possible domestic violence she experienced from the Executive Director of Karma Box Project. This public comment initiated a chain of events that captured the attention of many.

We received a delicious little dossier of candid snaps and pondered what to do with them. Once we heard the KRNV interview with Washoe County Government Commissioner Ward 1 candidate Marsha Berkbigler we knew what to do, publish ‘em.