Well, grab your popcorn, Washoe County — Picon’s boss himself, Larry Chesney, has officially announced he’s running for County Commissioner, District 5.

Why? Simple. After Tammy Holt-Still announced her candidacy — right there in the middle of a commission meeting, no less — Larry’s phone started blowing up like it was Black Friday at Costco. Over 100 calls from residents, ranchers, landowners, and business owners poured in, all with the same message: “Larry, please run. Save us from the circus.”

Well, color us curious — Commissioner Jeanne Herman pulled a disappearing act this week, skipping both the special meeting to select the new Washoe County Manager and the regular commission meeting the next day. That’s two dais dodges in a row.

Now, we know Jeanne has always had a soft spot for former County Manager Eric Brown — she practically considered him the gold standard of county leadership — so maybe she’s still lighting a candle for his departure. But while Herman’s MIA, Commissioner Clara Andriola is licking her chops for the big chair. With Jeanne out, Clara’s path to becoming Chair of the Washoe County Commission just got a little smoother — and a whole lot noisier. Because let’s be real: if Clara takes that gavel, we’ll all be lulled into a bureaucratic coma by her drone of devotion to the sound of her own voice.

Has all that radon at the historic Washoe County Courthouse been quietly swept under the rug—or just vented out a window and called “handled”?

For months, Washoe County has been doing what it does best: talking about the problem while calling it “naturally occurring” and “limited to certain areas.” Translation: “Don’t worry your little lungs about it.” But according to one of our inside sources, who requested anonymity (and probably a hazmat suit), the County is now planning to install a mechanical exhaust system to suck out the radioactive gas—at a cost of about half a million dollars.

In 2022, Colleen Westlake was a full-fledged Robert Beadles disciple — speaking at Boomtown’s “Freedom Fridays” as only the inner-circle got to do, railing against Democrats at King Buffet Conservative Talk luncheons, and vowing to clean up schools by getting rid of ‘certain’ books and ending coed bathrooms. Republicans rallied, got her elected — and then she flipped. Westlake ditched her conservative base, sided with the very crowd she once condemned, and left Jeff Church and her GOP supporters in the dust. Now, as she runs for re-election, even the Washoe County Republican Party has cut her loose — officially excommunicated and politically orphaned, just like her new supporter Commissioner Clara Andriola who has turned on her fellow Republican commissioner members, Jeanne Herman and Mike Clark.

Rarely does anyone send Picon a press release — let’s face it, Washoe County, the City of Reno, and the City of Sparks treat us like that one relative they hope skips Thanksgiving. But every now and then, something shiny lands in our inbox, and a few weeks ago it was from the U.S. Forest Service about the Capitol Christmas Tree Tour — and get this: for the first time ever, the national tree is from Nevada.

At what point does compassion turn into a blank check?

Washoe County taxpayers are pouring astronomical sums into the Nevada Cares Campus, the county’s sprawling answer to homelessness — and yet, despite the millions spent, the problem on the streets isn’t getting smaller. It’s multiplying.

There’s something ironic about how the City of Reno and Washoe County operate: elected folks dish it out daily — snide remarks, public shaming, name-calling from the dais — but the moment citizens push back, suddenly the officials are the victims.

Apparently, standing up, speaking out, and asking questions now qualifies you as “unhinged,” “obsessed,” or “mentally ill.” It’s the new government strategy — intimidate the activists, shame the critics, and drive the truth-tellers to the edge.

So here we are — Washoe County is preparing to dissolve its Department of Alternative Sentencing (DAS), a program once hailed as a model of innovation and rehabilitation. But as federal investigators circle, the public is left asking: where did it all go wrong — and where, exactly, is Justin Roper? And when is someone going to answer some question for residents and not hide behind an open investigation so no one can talk.

Roper, the program’s now-missing executive director, is reportedly under investigation federally. You’d think that alone would warrant a press conference or at least a few public words from the people who built this house of cards.

Devon Reese and the perils of public service.

Councilmember Devon Reese doesn’t like Picon. That’s fine. He’s called us hacks, not journalists, accuses us of “sensationalizing,” of “causing conflict and pain,” and dismisses us as a blog. We’ll defend his right to say all that — because that’s what the First Amendment is for. We’ll even defend his right to call citizens who disagree with him “mentally ill,” “stalkers,” or “creepy.” That’s his opinion — and he’s welcome to it.

Sun Valley doesn’t just have a grocery problem—it has a leadership problem. While residents watched their only supermarket circle the drain, Commissioner Mariluz Garcia somehow missed the smell. Maybe she didn’t notice the bare shelves. Maybe she never set foot in her own neighborhood store. Or maybe she just didn’t care—until election season rolled around.

Picon readers called us out - District Attorney Chris Hicks was spotted at Joe Lombardo’s governor kickoff at Western Nevada Supply. Sure, it makes for a good photo op — but we’re left to wonder: was Hicks there on his own dime, or was this yet another taxpayer-funded field trip?

Traffic, Grown Kids, and the Ghosts of Elections Past …

So apparently Trista Gomez is unhappy with Picon. We’ll just go ahead and say it — we’re fine with that. Now, at a meeting last night, Gomez explained why she moved: too much traffic, wanted to be closer to her kids… except, small detail, her kids are grown. Maybe without traffic her grown children will drive more often to her new home in Distrcit 3.

If leadership is about vision, strategy, and cohesion — then Washoe County Republicans are proving once again that they’ve got none of the above. Their so-called leader, Bruce Parks, seems more like a stagehand than a director: taking cues, following scripts, and letting others ghostwrite the footnotes, easier to point a finger after failure.

We’ve been hearing chatter from sources who used to work at Our Place that Dana Searcy, once the captain of the Nevada Cares Campus, may have slipped out of Washoe County without so much as a goodbye wave. No announcement, no update — just silence.

We owe a thank-you to Commissioner Mike Clark for playing courier service with the video he mentioned at the last meeting - you know the thumb drive he had in his pocket. Since Washoe County’s public records process moves slower than molasses in January, Clark saved us the wait and handed over the footage.

And oh, what a gem it is.

Picture this: Commissioner

At the State of the County, the seating chart looked less like leadership and more like a middle school lunchroom. On one end: Clara Andriola, Alexis Hill, and Mariluz Garcia. On the other: Mke Clark and Jeanne Herman. The divide wasn’t just visible — it was practically screaming for a caption.

Gosh, golly, gee wiz — who knew Commissioner Clara Andriola’s idea of “representing the people” meant doing exactly what the Washoe County Deputy District Attorney whispers in her ear? Forget listening to residents in Incline Village and Crystal Bay. Forget weighing community concerns. No, Clara’s job apparently boils down to one simple task: raise her hand when told.

Oh, the great fire study fix …

Did anyone actually take the time to watch the Regional Fire Services Study Board make its debut on September 4 at 10 a.m.? Probably not. But for those who did, it was a show worth critiquing.

The board is stacked with two reps each from the City of Sparks, City of Reno, and Washoe County. Logical enough. But what’s not logical is who didn’t make the cut: Commissioners Mike Clark and Jeanne Herman — the only two commissioners with firsthand wildfire scars in their districts. Instead, we got Clara Andriola and Mariluz Garcia. Why? Don’t ask — just “call it good to go.”

If you’ve ever tuned into a Washoe County Commission meeting, you know the drill: Commissioners Clara Andriola, Alexis Hill, and Mariluz Garcia take turns singing the praises of county staff like they’re nominating them for sainthood. Not to say Commissioners Herman and Clark don’t heap on some compliments, but they avoid gushing.

Commissioner Mariluz Garcia wants “rules of procedure” for the Washoe County Board of Fire Commissioners. Sounds harmless enough, right? Just a little housekeeping on decorum and best practices. But anyone watching closely saw what this really was: not about efficiency, not about process — but about publicly taking Commissioner Mike Clark to the woodshed.