RENO, Nev. (AP) — The manager of a key swing county in northern Nevada is out on medical leave, a departure announced just days before the election. Washoe County has received attention in recent weeks after turnover at the top of the elections office there.
Now, with the departure of Manager Eric Brown, both elections and county government operations will be overseen by deputies during what is expected to be a very close election in this politically important county. The county confirmed Tuesday that Brown is on leave for a planned medical procedure and will be out through late November. Assistant County Manager Dave Solaro will step in until Brown returns.
County officials are trying to quell any concerns that the shuffling of staff would affect operations in Nevada’s second most-populous county. County spokeswoman Bethany Drysdale said that Solaro served as the 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 looks forward to taking on the tasks at hand during the short period of time,” she said in an email to The Associated Press.
Last month, the county announced that Registrar Cari-Ann Burgess requested medical leave to deal with stress. But Burgess said she was forced out after refusing to go along with personnel changes sought by Brown's office. She said she asked repeatedly to stay, even providing a doct.