Latest Washoe County Leadership Library Saga Involves Arbitration Fight

While the Washoe County Library System has been mired in budget uncertainties and deliberations since a votedown in 2024 on a previously automatic property tax source of income, this has led to a fallout of ongoing leadership drama, with the recently reported firing of Stacy McKenzie in November.

“We are still not really 100% sure at to what’s the reasoning behind the termination,” attorney Ronald Dreher told Our Town Reno in a phone call today.

After Jeff Scott’s resignation in April after 10 years as library director, the latest twist has been the fate of McKenzie who still lists herself as Assistant Director on her own LinkedIn with this photo.

McKenzie who had filled the role of director after Scott’s departure without ever being named interim director initially took a temporary leave of absence in August, while Assistant County Manager Dave Solaro was then tasked to take a leadership role, after she had complained of the situation in a Board of Trustees meeting.

“It seems retaliatory I guess,” Dreher said. “This particular case is very odd, that you have someone who stands up for the fact that they’re asking for the pay that they believe they are entitled to and they’re fired.”

Under the county's personnel policies, Dreher said, McKenzie has the right to arbitration, “so we are taking it to arbitration.”

“This is a pending personnel matter, and the County has no further comment at this time,” Bethany Drysdale wrote in an email to Our Town Reno when asked if McKenzie was still a county employee, and if there was any comment concerning her status.

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