Reno City Council member Jenny Brekhus last month sued the City after a 2,000-page report was released that implicated her as a toxic force at City Hall. Brekhus requested an investigation into the City, particularly City Manager Doug Thornley and the allegations she made against him.
However, the investigator determined that Brekhus was the source of hostility, and the investigator could not substantiate her allegations.
“The greater weight of the credible evidence indicates that Councilmember Brekhus has a habit of speaking to individuals in a manner that demeans and belittles them,” Dalton Green, with the Ogletree Deakins law firm, wrote. “In a passive aggressive manner, she calls their competence and, often, their integrity, into question – frequently in the presence of others – such that many are afraid to deal with her.”
In response to the report, Brekhus sued the City in December, as first reported by the Reno Gazette Journal (paywalled article). Read her lawsuit.
Brekhus’ petition is requesting a hearing into the matter, and the City is now seeking approval from the council to hire a law firm to defend itself against her petition.
“City Attorney [Karl] Hall has determined that it could constitute a conflict of interest for the legal services to be rendered by the City Attorney’s Office. City Attorney Hall requests that Council approve compensation for Special Counsel Dickinson Wright, PLLC, for legal representation related to the City’s response [in the case],” a city staff report notes.
Dickinson Wright has offices in Reno and Las Vegas.
Brekhus’ petition demands the City’s Director of Human Resources Norma Santoyo hold a hearing on the investigation. She claims retaliation for filing a 2021 complaint about Thornley to Hall.
“Since filing this report, Petitioner Brekhus has been retaliated against by Mr. Thornley in the terms and conditions of her employment and role as a councilmember, to include changes to her working conditions and limiting her access [to] staff,” Brekhus alleges in the petition.
Thornley said he’s protecting staff from Brekhus, similar to how the former city manager barred her from meeting with staff.
A lawyer representing the City in November denied Brekhus’ request for a hearing over the investigation, claiming it was untimely, which Brekhus now disputes.
The City Council is scheduled to vote on the $75,000, which will come out of the City’s general fund, at its regularly scheduled Wednesday meeting.
