Clara Andriola’s “Original” Ideas: Recycling Other People’s Work Since… Always?

Social Media posts regarding the 2025 Washoe County Pet Memorial and the 2019 Locked in Love Memorial.

Has Washoe County Commissioner Clara Andriola ever had an original thought, or does she just polish up other people’s ideas and call them monumental achievements?

Her latest triumph? A pet memorial unveiled at the Link Piazzo Dog Park—touted as a heartfelt tribute to a late friend, a former Reno Gazette Journal writer who covered the rodeo for years. Lovely sentiment, but here’s the kicker: the memorial grid, where people can leave their pets’ collars and name tags, looks eerily similar to the 2019 “Locked In Love” art piece—created to honor families who have lost loved ones to substance abuse.

Did no one pause to think about the optics? One grid represents grief over human lives lost to addiction. The other? Fido’s name tag. Comparing these two levels of loss feels tone-deaf at best, downright insulting at worst.

Andriola, a former executive director of the Reno Rodeo Foundation, loves ringing her own bell over “community-focused” projects. But here’s a thought: maybe stop repackaging others’ work and start addressing real issues—like your constituents’ needs, infrastructure concerns, housing, or public safety—rather than designing photo ops that look borrowed.

Because, Clara, when the best you can offer is a recycled art concept for dog collars, it might be time to question what passes for vision in Washoe County leadership. Just ask the residents of Incline Village after Clara’s much self-excused vote yesterday regarding the Tahoe Area Plan.