Washoe County Chaos: A Look at Dysfunctional Leadership
How a County Manager, a Vanishing Registrar, and a Trail of Lawsuits Are Eroding Public Trust in Washoe County Government
And once again, the revolving door is spinning—with lawsuits, cover-ups, insider whispers, and one very quiet County Manager, Eric Brown, who just happened to be missing for a month while the house he runs burned politically behind him.
Since Brown took office in late 2019, four Registrars of Voters have cycled through his administration. At this rate, you’d have better odds of keeping a cactus alive in winter than holding down that job under Brown’s leadership.
The Burgess Lawsuit: A Tipping Point
On May 30, 2025, former Interim Registrar Cari-Ann Burgess filed a federal lawsuit that alleges wrongful termination, ADA discrimination, retaliation, constructive discharge, and ongoing defamation. The lawsuit lays out a pattern of instability, managerial interference, and what some observers are calling a soft coup against election integrity. If the complaint proves accurate, it’s damning. It’s enough to raise serious concerns about how Washoe County is handling elections—and its employees.
The Jamie Rodriguez Disappearance
Before Burgess came into the picture, Jamie Rodriguez—a hand-picked Brown appointee—vanished quietly from the Registrar’s office in late 2023. We now know (thanks to the complaint) that Rodriguez was placed on leave after an altercation with another employee, a fact never publicly disclosed.
Enter Burgess, Then the Micromanagers.
Burgess was brought in as Interim Registrar and reportedly did well, quietly running presidential primaries, special elections, and recounts in early 2024. Her reward?
Undermining, isolation, and harassment. According to her complaint, Assistant County Manager Kate Thomas (the same Kate Thomas who cost the City of Reno $300K in a separate settlement) began interfering in hiring decisions, budget access, vendor relations, and internal team dynamics, without formal authority.
What’s more troubling is that Thomas reportedly did all this at the direction of Commission Chair Alexis Hill, who once worked with Thomas in Reno. Are they besties, people are wondering? There are numerous news articles about Alexis Hill and her antics out there.
An Election System on Fire
By summer 2024, things got out of hand. Burgess raised the alarm over the new VREMS voting system, which had address mismatches, inactive voters marked active, and apartment residents misclassified as commercial properties—all of which threatened the legitimacy of mail-in ballots.
Her reward for flagging these issues to County leadership and the Secretary of State’s office? She was chastised, sidelined, and ultimately forced onto “personal leave,” later reclassified (without her knowledge) as administrative leave.
The topper - Her county-issued phone was factory reset in front of Chief Deputy DA Mary Kandaras, who retired the day before the lawsuit was filed. Coincidence or what?
What About Commissioner Mike Clark?
Mike Clark is one of the few voices willing to question Brown in public. Insiders say Clark believes a cover-up is underway, and he has been asking questions that the DA’s office doesn’t seem to want answered. Mike has a website with videos where he explains what is going on, https://commissionermikeclark.com/. Give it a look.
🗳️ Repeated Votes Against Certification
In June 2024, Clark joined Jeanne Herman in voting against canvassing the primary election results, directly clashing with Registrar Burgess during the recount phase, which she described as a blow to morale.
In November 2024, Clark abstained from certifying the general election, citing a conflict of interest. During that meeting, he pressed for explanations about 29,000 inactive voters who received ballots.
⚠️ Public Statements and Criticism
Clark openly blamed “management” for the high turnover in the Registrar’s office and called Burgess’s forced leave “embarrassing” for the county.
He also publicly questioned the transparency of County Manager Eric Brown, accusing the leadership of cover‑ups, saying, “If I complain about something, they run out to camouflage the problem”.
🔍 Role as a Critic and Watchdog
Clark has positioned himself as a watchful commissioner, demanding clarity on voter data deadlines and ballot categorization, and advocating for accountability during certification debates.
Though he abstained, his actions and inquiries introduced public scrutiny over how Registrar Burgess’s office handled voter rolls, ballots, and communications related to system errors.
🧩 Why It Matters
Clark’s stance aligned with Burgess in one sense—highlighting election‑system irregularities—and reinforcing her claims.
In Burgess’s federal lawsuit, Clark hasn’t been named; however, his public criticism has likely added to the scrutiny of the Registrar’s office.
The New Registrar With Questions
Brown’s office hand-picked Andrew McDonald to replace Burgess, reportedly requiring non-disclosure agreements (NDAs) for the hiring committee. According to the lawsuit, McDonald left his last election job amid controversy. His ties to Washoe County IT chief Behzad Zamanian are raising eyebrows. Did Brown trade one scandal for another?
The Price of Dysfunction
We have to ask:
How many more lawsuits will taxpayers be required to fund?
How many more Registrars will resign, be pushed out, or implode under the weight of Washoe County’s broken culture?
And how long will Eric Brown continue to dodge a deposition?
Word is, the DA’s office is working overtime to keep him off the stand. Good luck with that. Depositions are coming.
Final Thought
This situation isn’t just a case of bad management. It’s starting to look like systemic rot covered up with PR polish and non-disclosure agreements.
I urge every Washoe County resident to make their voice heard. Attend the meetings, submit your comments via email, and contact your commissioner by phone.
Washoe County Board of Commissioners
• Website: www.washoecounty.gov/bcc/
• Phone: 775‑328‑2003
• County Clerk (Agendas & Minutes, record requests): 775‑784‑7279, email ClerkBoard@washoecounty.gov