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The Washoe County Republican Party no longer acknowledges Washoe County Commissioner Clara Andriola as a member.

During their monthly Central Committee meeting on Monday, January 29, party members voted not to recognize Andriola as a Republican and to not endorse or support her in her bid for County Commissioner. Instead, the party will support Tracy Hilton-Thomas, Vice Chair of the Washoe County Republican Party, in the upcoming June primary.

Hilton-Thomas is known for blowing the whistle on the Washoe County Registrar of Voter’s Office’s ballot and signature verification irregularities in March 2021.

The resolution lists specific examples, including Andriola’s approval of the Lands Bill privatizing public land, appointing liberals to boards, approving large expenditures, and ignoring voter rights and free speech issues. It further cites Andriola voting 87 percent of the time with the Democrats as Commissioner, claiming that she has “weakened the brand and the integrity of the Republican party.”

Andriola has contested these allegations, saying no one from the party contacted her to discuss the concerns. She argued that she has a long history of being a Republican and working to ensure responsible use of taxpayer dollars.

Chairman Bruce Parks of the Washoe County GOP countered Andriola’s claims, pointing to meetings with her to voice concerns about her alignment with party expectations. He asserted that Andriola, representing a conservative district, claimed to be apolitical, which he deemed inappropriate for her role.

Parks also criticized Governor Joe Lombardo for appointing Andriola without consulting the Washoe County Central Committee or Republican commissioners. He expressed frustration at being ignored by the governor’s office over Andriola’s voting alignment.

Despite a letter signed by some Republicans asking the central committee to reject the resolution, the committee proceeded with the decision.

My wife asked me to return a book to the library she borrowed the week before. I said yes and did so this morning after my air shift.

The library is also where we vote in the Presidential Preference Primary, something I’d forgotten about until I pulled into the parking lot. I exited my truck and went inside.

Once through the doors, only myself, three women working the tables, and one observer were there. I walked up to the first one and started to present my identification so she could find me in the voter rolls.

Before even looking for my name, she turned to the woman at the table to her left and asked, “Is his sweatshirt legal?”

“Oh, no,” the woman answered. “It is considered intimidating, I do believe.”

The woman I stood before looked at me and said, “I’m afraid we can’t let you vote until you change your sweatshirt.”

Instead of arguing the point, and because I wanted to get done and get home, I did not argue but went to my truck and put my jacket on, buttoning it up before returning to the polling place. Still, there was no one but us four in the room of 10 voting machines.

“Is this okay?” I asked.

“Yes,” the first woman said as she began looking for my name. “Here’s your card, you may select any machine and follow the instructions, then put the card in the basket when done.”

Half a minute later, I finished voting and did as instructed before exiting the building. I got in my truck, pulled out my cell phone, and took a smiling selfie while holding my “I Voted” sticker.

My two takeaways: I had no idea my old faded yellow and red Marine Corps sweatshirt, with the Eagle, Globe, and Anchor on its front, could lead to voter intimidation, and I selected the best candidate possible, “None of these Candidates.”

Because of a perceived housing shortage in Washoe County, Senator Jacky Rosen has introduced the Truckee Meadows Public Lands Management Act.

The bill, requested in 2016 by Washoe County and the cities of Reno and Sparks, involves city officials, developers, conservationists, and various stakeholders. Mirroring the Southern Nevada Public Lands Management Act (SNPLMA), the Washoe bill proposes conveying 15,860 acres of public land for disposal.

Some of the land will be auctioned to developers, while an additional 3,400 acres will be for specific purposes, including roadway expansions, regional parks, and K-12 school sites. Meanwhile, all proceeds from land sales will stay within Nevada, with allocations for environmentally focused projects, Truckee River conservation, and the Nevada education fund.

The bill further mandates an evaluation of each parcel for affordable housing suitability before bringing it to market and selling below fair market value. It also decrees around 950,000 acres of public land in Northern Nevada will receive conservation designations, creating new national conservation and wilderness areas to protect them from development permanently.

If it passes, it would be the most massive federal conservation effort in Nevada since the Black Rock Desert Act of 2000, preserving 30 percent of Washoe County, aligning it with the Biden administration’s “America the Beautiful initiative.” It also allocates approximately 20,000 acres in trust for the Reno-Sparks Indian Colony, the Pyramid Lake Paiute Tribe, and the Washoe Tribe of Nevada and California.

Economic development advocates, local elected officials, and environmentalists welcome the bill. However, Reno City Council member Jenny Brekhus criticizes the model as outdated and promoting sprawl. Conservationists also express concerns about the tradeoff model, suggesting it may not be the most environmentally friendly approach.

The final bill underwent changes based on feedback during a comment period. The changes include reducing the conveyance size and adding conservation easements in response to local entities’ requests.

The bill faces the challenge of gaining approval in the Senate. While many state-specific bills have passed with unanimous consent, the current Senate climate may necessitate incorporating it into a larger legislative package.

Rosen expects help from the Energy and Natural Resources Committee, where Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto chairs the public lands subcommittee.

Strong Public Schools Nevada has taken legal action against Senate Bill 1 (SB1), contesting its constitutionality.

SB1, which allocates $380 million in taxpayer funding for a new stadium for the Athletics baseball team as they relocate to Las Vegas, has sparked significant controversy. The plaintiffs argue that the bill violates five provisions of the Nevada Constitution.

“During the last Legislative Session, with important education issues outstanding, the Governor and Legislature shifted their focus to the needs of John Fisher and his lobbyists,” the group said in a press release. “For eight days, Nevada politicians singularly focused on financing a ‘world-class’ stadium for a California billionaire while ignoring Nevada’s second-class education system.”

According to the education group, the focus should be investing in the education system rather than subsidizing professional sports team infrastructure.

“Educators throughout Nevada are frustrated by the lack of focus by politicians on real priorities, like public education,” President of NEA of Southern Nevada Vicki Kreidel said. “There’s been more planning of a ‘world-class’ stadium than there has been implementing a funding plan to ensure a ‘world-class’ education for our kids. These misguided priorities are why Nevada continually ranks at the bottom of all the good lists.”

The state educational system faces challenges, ranking 48th in per-pupil funding and the largest class sizes and highest educator vacancies nationwide. Critics argue that state leaders have prioritized the needs of private interests over the urgent demands of its education system.

Significant campaign donations to candidates for the Reno City Council have sparked concern among constituents.

Councilwoman Kathleen Taylor, a member of the Reno Planning Commission since July 2019, has faced criticism for her alignment with developers and a focus on short-term construction employment rather than the long-term interests of Reno residents. Financial reports filed with the Nevada Secretary of State reveal that Lewis Roca, a law firm representing Jacobs Entertainment, has donated $2,500 to her campaign in the current election cycle.

Taylor is facing Frank Perez, who recently left his position as chair for the Washoe County Library Board, for the Ward 1 seat left vacant by longtime Councilwoman Jenny Brekhus, who cannot run again due to term limits. Taylor, appointed by the council to Ward 5 in 2022, has a year-to-date campaign haul of over $100,000 and $75,000 in cash.

The Clark County Registrar of Voters (ROV) Lorena Portillo has acknowledged an error that allowed candidates to file for a District Court seat not officially declared vacant.

County spokesperson Stephanie Wheatley confirmed that the Department 27 seat, for which candidates Casey Quinn and Melanie Thomas filed during the judicial filing period, was inadvertently placed on the ballot without an official declaration of vacancy by Gov. Joe Lombardo.

The department seat was declared vacant on Wednesday evening, January 17, after the filing deadline had passed.

The seat became vacant on Wednesday, January 10, when District Judge Nancy Allf announced her retirement after nearly 13 years on the bench. According to state statute, a seat must be declared vacant before the end of the filing period before opening during the regular filing period.

Allf’s early retirement triggered an appointment process to fill the position, with seven attorneys applying for the seat during a monthlong application period that ended on Thursday, January 11. However, none of the applicants filed for the seat in the regular election because the Special filing period for the November 2024 general election is from Sunday, June 16 to Wednesday, July 26.

County officials anticipate conducting this Special candidate filing period when candidates can file for the seat. The candidates from the Special filing period will then appear on the general election ballot.

In just two and a half hours, dedicated GOP volunteers efficiently processed tens of thousands of voters and their ballots. Through a straightforward process involving ID verification and paper ballots, the volunteers hand-counted all the votes swiftly and accurately and at minimal cost to the county or taxpayers.

The efficiency contrasts the perceived corruption and incompetence within Washoe County and the broader Nevada election system. While the streamlined method of caucusing shows that ordinary citizens can effectively tally 100,000 votes in a little over two hours after polls close, the state requires six weeks and over $12.6 million to accomplish the same task.

Such a discrepancy raises concerns about potential manipulation and the known flaws within the current electoral framework.

Governor Joe Lombardo has made some leadership changes in three key state agencies without disclosing to the public the reasons. When questioned, a spokesperson confirmed the departures on Friday, January 19, but provided no further details.

The affected agencies include the Nevada Department of Veterans Services, the state Public Works Division, and the Division of Human Resource Management. The alterations come on the heels of the recent departure of Warren Lowman, the state audit administrator, and the departure of Ben Kieckhefer as Chief of Staff at the end of the month.

Ryan Cherry assumed the new Chief of Staff on Wednesday, January 17, while Kieckhefer will remain in a transitional capacity until the end of the month.

One change involved Fred Wagar, Director of the Nevada Department of Veterans Services. An email to state employees announced Lisa Maciel, the deputy director of benefits at the veteran services department, as the interim director, with a permanent replacement expected in the coming weeks.

Another change involved placing Mandee Bowsmith, the former administrator of the human resource division, on administrative leave. An email to state employees on Thursday, January 18, revealed that Bachera Washington, the interim administrator, had been permanently promoted to that position.

Additionally, Wilfred “Wil” Lewis Jr. has taken over from the former administrator of the State Public Works Division, Kent LeFevre, who, although still associated with the State Public Works Division, has been assigned special duties with the Nevada Department of Corrections.

Serious concerns have been raised about voter registration activities at the Cares Campus in Washoe County involving the 501(c)(3) organization “Faith In Action.”

On Tuesday, January 30, Faith In Action was witnessed outside the Cares Campus, registering homeless individuals to vote. While voter registration is generally considered a positive and inclusive civic engagement initiative, the report suggests potential issues with the handling of voter rolls and the transparency of the process.

A video captured an individual discussing the challenges faced by the homeless population and expressing concerns about the operations at the Cares Campus. However, the report asserts that the problem lies in the maintenance of voter rolls, specifically previously registered voters who have moved on or are no longer productive members of society.

The fate of unclaimed ballots sent to the Cares Campus is unknown and suggests the possibility of organizations collecting them and filling them out without proper verification. Concerns about the lack of transparency and accountability in the voter registration process, particularly given the significant issues with Washoe County’s outdated voter rolls, are also being raised.

Faith In Actions has ties to the World Economic Forum, Soros-funded groups, and the organization’s alleged far-left progressive agenda. It calls into question the motives behind the largest homeless center in the country, that have financial incentives tied to per-bed and per-head arrangements.

Though asked to intercede and address the concerns raised, Washoe County Commissioners have not acted on the request. Furthermore, calls made to Nevada’s Secretary of State have gone unreturned.

My Cousin Elmo says, “The way the media is going, they’re going to have to change ‘headlines’ to ‘deadlines’ because they’re killing the business.”