Holy Reversal, Batman! From Trusted Registrar to Incompetent Scapegoat?
Picon wants to see Washoe County’s Bat-phone with the Nevada Secretary of State’s Office. We can’t make this stuff up - read on.
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.
Flashback to January 16, 2024 when Commissioner Clara Andriola was concerned (as one should be when you’re dealing with, you know, democracy), asking about safeguards in place to ensure the Registrar’s compliance with the Nevada Secretary of State.
Former County Manager Eric Brown didn't even blink. He confidently assured her — and the public — that Cari-Ann would have a “Bat-Phone” to the Secretary of State’s office. Not a metaphorical one. A real, direct line. Constant communication. Everything under control. Gotham, we’re good.
Andriola – '‘I just want to clarify that the hiring process that Ms. Burgess went through was the same process that the county has for any position and the transparency of the qualifications for her to do this on an interim basis has that been vetted through the proper Human Resource channels, in terms of, you know, confirming that she does have the qualifications to carry out that position.”
Brown – “Yes, commissioner.”
Andriola – “And my understanding in speaking with the Secretary of State’s office and representatives, that there is a, I almost want to say it’s a bat-phone but that’s probably dating myself for Batman. But there’s some type of a red phone, literally, the Secretary of State’s office has committed to providing all the resource oversight and the compliance assurance that everything that is being done for Washoe County to everybody’s satisfaction will be that vote will be counted correctly. I wanted to make sure that this interim position will have that same bat-phone. That the Secretary of States office will be in constant communication with your office and this case, if it does, proceed the Interim Registrar of Voters.”
Brown – '‘That is correct.'‘
Andriola – '‘So there is a third party oversight that is making sure that we are compliant.”
Brown – “Yes.”
So what happened?
Well, Picon has a theory — and let’s just say it’s more Penguin than Joker. See, Burgess started taking meetings. Not with villains, but with... church groups. And the chair of the Washoe County Republican Central Committee.
In normal democratic settings, this might be called community outreach. In Washoe County power circles? It triggered panic. It meant Brown and his second-in-command, then-Assistant County Manager Kate Thomas, weren’t in control of Burgess anymore.
And in a system obsessed with hierarchy, appearance, and message discipline, nothing scares the bureaucracy more than someone freelancing with “the wrong people.” So Cari-Ann had to go — not for failing, but for coloring outside the lines.
Now, in order to avoid the messy business of accountability in court, the same officials who praised Burgess are calling her incompetent — the legal version of tossing Robin under the Batmobile.
Let’s recap:
January: “She’s totally qualified, has a Bat-Phone to the Secretary of State, and we fully support her.”
Now: “She was grossly incompetent, Your Honor. Please dismiss the case.”
Even Two-Face would blush.
Was Burgess suddenly, retroactively unqualified? Or did she just stop toeing the line?
Because here’s the uncomfortable truth: If she truly was incompetent, then every assurance made by Brown, Thomas, and county officials was either negligent or dishonest. Pick one. Neither looks good in a deposition.
And if she wasn’t incompetent? Then this is a classic political takedown dressed up as HR policy.
Either way, Washoe County owes the public answers — and not just legal defenses designed to keep things quiet.
Because we’re not in Gotham. We’re in Washoe County. And while there might not be a Batcave, there should be transparency, truth, and just maybe a little less spinning and a little more owning up.