RENO, Nev. (AP) — The manager of a key northern Nevada swing county is on leave for health reasons, a resignation announced just days before the election.
Washoe County has attracted attention in recent weeks following a change at the top of its elections office. With the departure of Manager Eric Brown, both elections and county government operations will now be overseen by deputies, while elections in this politically crucial district are expected to be very close.
The county confirmed Tuesday that Brown is on leave for a scheduled medical procedure and will be out through the end of November. Assistant County Manager Dave Solaro will step in until Brown returns.
County officials are trying to allay any concerns that the staff transfer would impact operations in Nevada’s second-largest county. County spokeswoman Bethany Drysdale said Solaro served as interim manager for several months before Brown was hired in 2019 and that he has been with the county for more than two decades.
“(Solaro) joins the rest of the county team in wishing Manager Brown well and looking forward to taking on the duties at hand in the short period of time,” she said in an email to The Associated Press.
Last month, the county announced that Chancellor Cari-Ann Burgess had requested a medical leave of absence due to stress. But Burgess said she was forced to resign after refusing to agree to personnel changes sought by Brown’s office. She said she repeatedly asked to stay, even provided a medical certificate certifying her health and hired a lawyer.
The office will now be run by Burgess’ deputy – the fifth person in four years to lead the district’s elections. The turnover is a symptom of a county that has been sharply divided politically and has been plagued by election conspiracy theories since Republican Donald Trump lost the state to Democrat Joe Biden in the 2020 presidential election.
The county has maintained that it is focused “on conducting a smooth and fair election.”
George Guthrie, a spokesman at the registrar of voters’ office, said in an interview Tuesday before the announcement of Brown’s medical leave that employees in that office appeared to be in good spirits despite challenging work.
“For us, election time is the time of walking. This is our Superbowl. “The primary is the playoffs,” Guthrie said. “Our people are locked in and working long, 12-hour days and weekends.”
