Nearly two months after receiving a positive performance evaluation and an 8 percent salary increase, Lyon County Manager Donna Kristaponis was asked for her resignation.

Kristaponis said she fully expects to be terminated at a workshop with the county commissioners scheduled for 9 a.m. Friday at the county offices in Yerington. The meeting will be open to the public.

The workshop's agenda calls for discussion of the county manager's performance, management and communication with the commissioners and adds the item may consider character, misconduct, competence or health of Kristaponis, who said she had no idea why this is happening.

"I haven't been given any reason," she said. "There are all sorts of reasons to keep or not keep a county manager, but when I think about where the county was two years ago, I can't possibly think it was based on performance."

She said that commissioners Phyllis Hunewill and Bob Milz approached her on Sept. 7 after the regular commissioner's meeting and asked for her resignation or they would put her termination on the agenda. She has not resigned, and said she fully expects the commissioners to terminate her employment.

"It hurts; nobody wants to be disliked and nobody wants to be left out in the cold," she said. "If they had spoken to me about what it was that was bugging them, I might have been able to fix it."

Hunewill said she could not comment, on the advice of District Attorney Leon Aberasturi. Efforts to reach Milz and Commissioner Don Tibbals were unsuccessful.

Commissioners Chet Hillyard and Leroy Goodman defend Kristaponis and say they have no idea what brought about the action by Milz and Hunewill.

"I think she is being railroaded," Hillyard said. "Donna has orchestrated the entire county; all the departments to work together and grow and maintain our position as the nicest county in the nation. Now some people are trying to tear it down."

He said Kristaponis had done "a magnificent job. She has worked diligently and honestly to bring everyone together to cooperate with one another."

Hillyard added that his fellow commissioners have not told him or Goodman why this action was being taken.

"I have no idea what's in their little minds," he said. "Leroy and I are the only ones who still have faith in the future of Lyon County.

Goodman called the action "a personal vendetta."

"I've asked for these allegations, or complaints or problems in writing and they won't tell me," he said. "They say 'we know things you don't.' On Friday they better know what these things are."

Goodman praised Kristaponis as having done a good job.

"I think the county's really progressed, moved forward," he said. "We have an office in Dayton where people can do business; lots of good things have happened on her watch. Employees are happy and my phone doesn't ring as much as it used to."

Kristaponis was hired in July 2004 to the position, which, with her 8 percent raise this summer, paid $118,231 plus benefits.

She said her major accomplishment as county manager has been to change the environment at the county offices to where departments work together as a team.

"The departments were working in isolation with one another," she said. "They now work together and accomplish a great deal more. They are proud of the reorganization. We are able to brainstorm and solve problems and work as a team."

She said the reason her staff has been supportive is they have a role in the decision-making process. "I'm a very inclusive manager," she said.

Kristaponis admitted that there should have been better communication within the organization.

"Hindsight is always 20/20, but I think that there are commissioners who feel I have not communicated well with them," she said. "I set up Momentum (a newsletter) and used the e-mail and a brand new Web site, but we're so spread out and it's so hard to reach people to let them know what the county is doing for them."

She said employee morale was hurt by the termination actions. "Uncertainty is always difficult for staff," she said. "They talk about it all the time and it's demoralizing."

Kristaponis has received a letter of support from Lyon County Sheriff Sid Smith and another letter signed by 11 of the county's department heads.

If she is terminated, Kristaponis said she is certain she will find something else.

"I'll look for something challenging, where I can use my skills and make contributions," she said. "I have tremendous support in the community."