Where do candidates for Reno mayor, city council stand on the issues?

Four of the seven seats on the Reno City Council could have new members next year — and it'll all come down to the November elections.

It's a pivotal moment for the Biggest Little City, which is facing long-term budget concerns, steep rises in housing costs and contentious political issues such as data centers and Flock cameras.

For the first time in a dozen years, there's an open race for Reno mayor. There are also two council member seats on the ballot: one open and one where a 25-year-old political newcomer is challenging a one-term incumbent.

The Nevada Independent interviewed all candidates, who each filled out a policy survey with identical questions. Read below to see where they stand on the issues and the dynamics in their races. You can click the links below to scroll to a specific race.

Mayor

City council Ward 2

City council Ward 4

Mayoral race starts to get messy — and it's because of data centers

Two candidates emerged from the June primary for Reno mayor — and they're starting to go after each other on data centers.

Kate Marshall, the former Nevada treasurer and lieutenant governor, cruised to first place in the primary and is facing off against Reno City Councilmember Kathleen Taylor. Marshall is a Democrat and Taylor is a Republican, though the mayoral seat is nonpartisan.

Tensions emerged last week when Taylor released her first TV ad attacking Marshall for voting in support of a data center tax break in 2020. 

"I don't think it's an attack ad," Taylor said in an interview. "I think it's a clear distinction between the different candidates."

Marshall shot back with a letter to the community defending her vote — explaining that the board she sat on had to approve the tax break and she pushed for certain environmental guardrails — and criticizing Taylor's data center position. She also said in an interview that the ad was "desperate."

Marshall has long opposed data centers within city limits and backed a data center moratorium. Meanwhile, Taylor was the only vote against the city's moratorium earlier this year — calling it "political theater" — but has recently said in interviews and on social media that she does not support the developments in or near neighborhoods. Instead of supporting a pause, she asked city officials to fast-track changes to city code, despite voting against starting the process to change code for data centers last year.

It reveals the prominent role that data centers are playing in the mayoral race — one that features two candidates with very different visions for the city.

The race is happening against the backdrop of a precarious budget situation. The next mayor's term will run until 2030, the same year the city budget is on track for cash flow issues, meaning Reno will have less money than it needs to comfortably sustain daily operations. 

Although Marshall and Taylor have touted fiscal responsibility, they have different approaches on how to get there.

Taylor wants to get the city "back to basics." She has criticized spending on so-called "pet projects," such as a Fourth of July Parade, and wants the city to focus on services such as police, fire and infrastructure.

Marshall, who has never been a city official, has grander plans. She has said nothing is off the table when it comes to righting the budget ship, including staff cuts, and wants to audit every city program.

Taylor raised about $100,000 more than Marshall through the first six months of this year but had a significant cash-on-hand deficit. Marshall began exploring a mayoral candidacy years ago and has kept in reserve money raised for her previous bids for statewide office — which has been a source of controversy. 

About 8 percent of Marshall's fundraising through June came from people who donated $100 or less — about 10 times the share of Taylor's haul. Taylor, who has received significant support from developers, still said that small donors are helping power her campaign.

"I have volunteers who can't give financially, but they're willing to give of their time so I don't look at it as just a dollar amount," said Taylor, who also criticized Marshall for planning a fundraiser in Las Vegas this month.

For her part, Marshall is confident in her chances, citing voter analyses her campaign has conducted.

"In all those analyses, we are strong," she said. "The wind is at my back."

Two very different council races

Ward 2

With its incumbent termed out of office, the district spanning southeastern Reno is for the taking.

Two candidates emerged from the June primary: Matt Johnson, the former owner of a Reno brewery and current UNR employee, and Summer Pellett, who co-founded a local construction company.

Johnson was previously the director of the Nevada Conservation Corps, which focuses on environmental restoration, and now works on a team at UNR focused on workforce development. He said he plans to make the city council his full-time job if elected. In his campaign, he has touted himself as well equipped to handle the city's budget crisis and has also prioritized finding ways to cool down Reno, which is the nation's fastest-warming city.

Pellett was formerly a city planner in Sparks, an experience that she said equips her to help manage Reno's development responsibly. She also is focused on some hyperlocal issues, such as street racing.

Although the candidates have said they are prioritizing their own record when talking with voters, there has been some mudslinging in recent weeks. Pellett's campaign was behind a Facebook group called the West Reno Citizens Report that ran AI-generated ads referring to Johnson as a failed businessman after his brewery closed last year.

In an interview, Pellett said Johnson had sent negative mailers about her during the primary, though she did not have copies of them.

"I just wanted to make sure people knew, and to me, it's not negative advertising," she said.

Johnson used the ad to fundraise, calling it a "pathetic, half-assed attempt to smear me" because "her big money donors are worried that I am going to win."

Through June, Johnson had raised about $49,000, and about 17 percent of that money came from people who gave $100 or less. Only about 4 percent of the $110,000 raised by Pellett has come from these donors.

"I like to call this a people-powered campaign," he said in an interview.

Pellett has objected to that framing, in part because she said Johnson has sought endorsements from the same people she has.

"For him to portray himself as grassroots just because he is having a very difficult time funding his campaign is kind of an odd take," she said.

Pellett also defended her donors. When she announced her candidacy, she immediately got support from groups she knows in the construction industry — something that she said shouldn't count against her.

"We're building out the inside of a veterinary clinic. We're putting up new bleachers and lighting at all of the Lyon County high schools," she said. "We're pretty proud of what we've done here in this community."

Ward 4

The other council race has had a much lower profile.

City Councilmember Meghan Ebert, who has represented northeastern Reno since 2022, is facing a challenge from Eddie Gomez, a 25-year-old who owns a taqueria and has never run for office.

Ebert, who serves full-time on the city council, has long pushed for greater awareness of the North Valleys in city conversations. She recently criticized the city over the delays that North Valleys residents — including herself — faced when evacuating because of the Hawk Fire.

The fire has had a major effect on campaigning in the race. Gomez and Ebert said campaigning has taken a back seat to helping fire victims.

Gomez has focused his campaign on hyperlocal issues, calling for better roads, a stronger police presence and more community spaces in his district.

Gomez said his dream growing up was to be the mayor of Reno. He had envisioned running for office later in life, but he decided to do it sooner as he did more research into how he could represent his community on the city council.

"I decided to run completely independent of [Ebert] being an incumbent," he said.

In an interview, Ebert said, "I'm happy to see younger people get into races," but she also said she has projects in the works where "continuity is good." Ebert is currently working on converting a decommissioned elementary school into a community center and a place to house a future UNR drone program.

"I'm looking to bring jobs where people can afford to buy a house," she said.

Above all, her priority is advocating on behalf of North Valleys residents, who she said have long been sidelined from important city conversations on everything from transportation to infrastructure.

Much less money has flowed into this race. Through the first six months of this year, Gomez brought in about $5,000, in addition to a $30,000 loan from himself. Ebert raised about $12,000 this year.

Gomez thinks "fundraising doesn't win a campaign," while Ebert is prioritizing personal connections.

"It's not a billboard," she said. "It's face to face with community members."