Marie Rodriguez selected in 4-1 vote

The Washoe Board of County Commissioners on Tuesday appointed Marie Rodriguez to the library board of trustees. Commissioner Jeanne Herman voted against her appointment to the volunteer board. 

Public commenters called for increased diversity on the library board. Bruce Parks, chair of the Washoe County Republican Party, said, “Liberals staff 80% of all boards and commissions in Washoe County. Conservatives are woefully underrepresented in Washoe County.”

Applicants to the county’s boards and commissions are not asked to disclose their party affiliation on their applications or as part of their membership on a board.

Public commenter Gail Townsend urged commissioners to consider the board’s lack of racial diversity.

“One of the things that I have noticed is that most of the people on the board are white,” she said. 

Rodriguez highlighted her background and involvement in the local literary community.

“I’m very involved in the literary community of the Washoe County area. I’m on the literary board, and I’m also involved in the Reno Arts and Culture Commission,” she said. “I strongly support literacy, and that’s what our libraries are all about.”

She also noted her fluency in Spanish.

“I do speak, read and write fluent Spanish,” she said. “Having grown up in Guadalajara, Mexico, as a child, I use it in my day-to-day work, translating for a lot of our law enforcement community.”

The board also approved an amendment to the “Renew Washoe Libraries” resolution, correcting the amount to be raised for the 2025 fiscal year to $4.5 million rather than the $1.12 million drafted initially.

The amendment passed 3-2, with Herman and Clark voting against the language change.