Brenda Erdoes recommended to head Nevada Legislative Counsel Bureau

The Committee to Consult with the Director of the Legislative Counsel Bureau voted Monday to recommend longtime Legislative Counsel Brenda Erdoes as the new director of LCB.

Wednesday, the Legislative Commission will meet and decide whether to confirm her to succeed Rick Combs, who retired earlier this year.

Erdoes, who has been with LCB since 1980, is the first woman to hold the director’s post.

In an informal ballot before the formal vote, Erdoes received support from six of the 10 committee members.

Marsheila Lyons, deputy director of the Research Division, was supported by four of the members.

Lawmakers praised Erdoes’ long service to LCB including as Legislative Counsel and head of the Legal Division since 1994.

Sen. Ben Kieckhefer, R-Reno, pointed to her long institutional memory as a valuable asset at the Legislature, especially in what will be a reapportionment session in 2021. But he also had strong praise for Lyons and her strategic vision for the changes the Legislature will need to make to modernize and move the body forward.

He and multiple other members of the 10-member panel said lawmakers would be well served by either of the two.

Sen. Julia Ratti, D-Sparks, Speaker Jason Frierson and Sen. Joyce Woodhouse, D-Henderson, said all five finalists were excellent candidates.

“We are certainly seeing some of the very best people apply,” said Woodhouse. “How lucky we are to have the quality of people applying for this position that we do.”

It took more than five hours for the panel to interview all five.

The third in-house applicant was Roger Wilkerson who heads the LCB Administrative Division. In addition, Secretary of State’s Elections Deputy Wayne Thorley applied.

He, like the in-house applicants, brought significant legislative experience having worked five years with the fiscal division and before that, the research division.

The five finalists were the top scorers among the 30 who applied for the job.

The fifth is Joe Kolman, the only out-of-state finalist. He is currently director of environmental policy with the Montana Legislature.