When half of an executive's staff walks out in the space of a few weeks, it's a good bet there's dysfunction in the office. And office dysfunction is almost always a byproduct of poor leadership.
In less than a month, half of Gov. Jim Gibbons' Carson City staff has resigned, including his four top lieutenants.
Chief of Staff Josh Hicks - who during the contentious legislative session was often out on the pointy end of the spear for the largely absent governor - resigned three weeks ago. Hicks was followed a week later by legal counsel Chris Nielsen and his assistant Kelly Chouinard. Deputy Chief of Staff Mendy Elliott resigned this week. Legislative Director Jodi Stephens is leaving at the end of August.
Wade Iverson, who handles boards and commissions for Gibbons, also is leaving in August, although his departure was planned after he was admitted to law school.
None of those leaving would say why they were going, nor would they comment on rumored discord in the governor's office.
But talk around the Capitol is that staffers felt as if Gibbons paid more heed to his unofficial "kitchen cabinet" of advisers than he did his own staff.
New Chief of Staff Robin Reedy dismissed questions of a dysfunctional environment in the office, saying there are often changes after the end of a legislative session. She also pointed the finger, albeit obliquely, at a popular scapegoat, the media - although the degree to which those staffers other than Hicks were dealing with the media was minimal.
"After two, two and a half years, the pressure, the constant barrage of press, I just think it's a natural occurrence," Reedy said of the defections.
Gibbons dubiously distinguished himself during Legislature '09 by being one of the least communicative, least present governors in recent state history. There was by all appearances a complete lack of effort to bridge differences between the governor's office and the Legislature.
These defections are yet another sign that Gov. Gibbons is not the effective leader Nevada needs.