The Midas Touch: Follow the Money

Picon urges Renoites to have coffee with Councilmember Kathleen Taylor on Friday, April 11, 2025 from 9-10AM and ask her about her $7,000 contribution from Wood Rodgers.

Ever notice how certain companies seem to have the Midas touch when it comes to project approvals? At Reno City Council and Planning Commission meetings, one name keeps popping up with suspicious regularity: Wood Rodgers.

This engineering firm has mastered a fascinating civic magic trick. 

Step 1: Become developers' go-to representatives. 

Step 2: Sprinkle generous campaign contributions across the electoral landscape. 

Step 3: Watch as those same elected officials mysteriously forget to mention these financial relationships before voting "yes" on your projects.

Curious about their formula for success? We were too. A peek into campaign finance records reveals Wood Rodgers isn't just contributing—they're investing in their future approvals. Those aren't just contributions; they're down payments on a relationship. .

What's particularly enchanting about this arrangement is the collective amnesia that strikes our elected officials the moment Wood Rodgers representatives approach the podium. Suddenly, not one of these public servants can recall receiving those hefty checks when it comes time for the obligatory "conflict of interest" disclosures. Shouldn't newly elected Ward 6 Reno City Councilmember Brandi Anderson let us know she received $2,000, or our hotel concierge suite liking Councilmember Miguel Martinez who deposited $4,000, how about developer friendly Councilmember Kathleen Taylor's $7,000, or Reno Mayor Wannabe Councilmember Devon Reese said "For Deposit Only" to the tune of $9,999.50. 

How many citizens can get a meeting with four council members, but we bet Wood Rodgers can - we'll be asking for their calendars. 

The taxpayers funding these officials' salaries are left in the dark, unaware that the company presenting projects has already paid a different kind of fee—directly into campaign coffers. How convenient that transparency stops at the chamber doors.

Perhaps our elected officials believe in coincidences: that the same firm keeps winning approvals through sheer merit alone. Perhaps they believe in the tooth fairy too.

Next time you witness a Wood Rodgers project sailing through approval with barely a question asked, remember: in Reno politics, money doesn't just talk—it votes.

List from the Nevada Secretary of State of Wood Rodgers political contributions.