To everyone in the Save Lakeridge movement: time to take a hard look at who’s backing whom in Washoe County politics.

Turns out T.J. Duncan—the developer at the center of your fight to protect Lakeridge Golf Course—is a supporter of none other than District Attorney Chris Hicks, who is kicking off his re-election campaign on September 9, 2025.

On June 12, 2025, Reno Gazette Journal reporter Mark Robison dropped a little political grenade: a group of donors — now dubbed the “Gang of Eighteen” — were furious with Sparks City Attorney Wes Duncan after he announced his candidacy for Washoe County District Attorney. Their big grievance? They wanted their political contributions back.

Yes, you read that right — refunds.

The money had originally gone to Duncan’s Sparks City Attorney race, which, thanks to a lack of an opponent, was essentially a political formality. But the Gang of Eighteen didn’t care about campaign technicalities. They staged their outrage publicly, then (for added flair) leaked it to the press.

An invite dropped in our inbox: District Attorney Chris Hicks, speaking Monday, August 11th at Mimi’s Cafe. Cue the political theater.

What will he be talking about? His many misfires as DA? The ongoing Izabella Loving homicide proceedings? The Reno High School vandalism protest one could argue his office mishandled. The DA’s refusal to fulfill reasonable public record requests for two years - allowing Washoe County Government to remain insulated from public scrutiny. Or is this just a veiled attempt at “equal time” after Sparks City Attorney Wes Duncan announced his DA candidacy at a luncheon hosted by a different branch of the same group in June? Watch the video - Duncan has a wonderful story about President Teddy Roosevelt as his lead-in to announcing.. Very clever Wes.

Gadzooks, Washoe County — it’s getting weird out there.

One moment, Cari-Ann Burgess, the former Interim Registrar of Voters for Washoe County, was the golden child of elections. Handpicked, praised, and defended at public meetings with the kind of confidence usually reserved for utility heroes and budget surpluses.

Now? She’s being painted as grossly incompetent — by the very same government that hired and defended her — as part of a legal strategy to dismiss her wrongful termination lawsuit.

Cue dramatic music. Enter: Bat-Signal.

Yes. Chris Hicks’s office has a full‑blown Public Information Officer (PIO)—paid by you, the taxpayer—spitting out press releases like pros. From launching a Twitter account in 2015 to promoting “felonious rioters” and Reno High pandemonium, it’s slick spin 24/7.

The Punch Line: When you've got budget shortfalls and big regulatory battles brewing, rolling the dice on lobbying is sometimes seen as the smarter bet than silent suffering—or public backlash.

Sparks City Attorney Wes Duncan has announced his candidacy for Washoe County District Attorney, setting the stage for a potential showdown with incumbent Chris Hicks. While Duncan's tenure in Sparks has been marked by a commitment to transparency and community engagement, Hicks' record on public access to records has been less than stellar.

In 2024 Sparks City Attorney Wes Duncan ran unopposed, but we don’t remember him speaking at a local Republican Women’s group - but now it seems he is.

Political operatives are saying they have been told Duncan is going to rung against Distrcit Attorney Chris Hicks. Is this speech in front of the largest Republican Women’s group in Washoe County sort of a campaign kick-off. We can only guess.

As Chief Deputy District Attorney Mary Kandaras enjoyed her retirement sendoff of cookies and flowers from Commissioner Clara Andriola at Tuesday's Washoe County Commission meeting, one question hung in the air like stale bureaucratic smoke: Will her departure make accessing public records easier, or are we about to discover based on an old saying, that the devil we knew was preferable to the devil we don't?