Nevada’s state systems were down for a week. Data has been exfiltrated in a “sophisticated, ransomware-based attack.” And we thought it was a legitimate question to ask if Washoe County’s $240,000-a-year Chief Information Officer, Behzad Zamanian was in Reno when he wrote the Monday memo.

According to the Reno Gazette Journal, Zamanian works less than five days a month in Reno—spending the rest of his time in Southern California. So when Monday’s update went out detailing the crisis, it was fair to ask: Was Zamanian in Reno or phoning it in from a beachside café. Or we thought so, guess a county employee disagreed.

In 2019, after County Manager John Slaughter stepped down, Washoe County launched a taxpayer-funded “national recruitment campaign” to find his replacement. Out of all the applications—and at no small expense—the final candidates boiled down to just three: Eric Brown, Kate Thomas, and Jon Hager.

Another day, another Washoe County official who’s suddenly been Checked Out. This week’s edition: Library Assistant Director Stacy McKenzie, who has taken a “temporary leave of absence” with no explanation. Sound familiar? It should—it’s practically the county’s house style.

Remember, McKenzie only took over when former Library Director Jeff Scott Closed the Book on his tenure back in April 2025. That “resignation” was widely rumored to be more like Resignation Before Termination—a genre Washoe County has mastered. Now McKenzie herself is on leave, with Assistant County Manager David Solaro overseeing daily operations. Translation: the staff who actually keep the shelves standing are doing the real work, while the county just fiddles with the Table of Contents.

Ah, Nevada politics — where grudges age like fine wine and nothing is ever as straightforward as it seems.

Back in the summer of 2024, after a particularly lively commission meeting, a campaign insider decided to aim a shot at Commissioner Mike Clark by filing an Open Meeting Law complaint. But instead of taking it to the Nevada Commission on Ethics — you know, the usual route for such political potshots — our insider went straight to the Attorney General’s Office. Apparently, he’s more “special” (or “in the know”) than us mere mortals.