First woman elected to Clark County Commission, Thalia Dondero, has died

Thalia Sperry Dondero died Sunday afternoon, leaving a Southern Nevada legacy of public service that propelled her to become the first woman to serve as a Clark County commissioner. She was 96.

The Clark County coroner’s office confirmed Monday that Dondero died Sunday due to heart failure.

Dondero’s ascent within the ranks of the Clark County Commission continued after she was elected in the 1970s. She went on to become the chairman of the powerful body. Within her lifetime, the seven-member Clark County Commission changed to reflect the times: Now, four commissioners on the seven-member body are female.

“Thalia was a trailblazer who cared deeply about this community and served it with distinction,” Clark County Commission chairman Steve Sisolak said in a statement Monday. “She broke the glass ceiling and became the first female County commissioner and today a majority of our board is female. I had the pleasure of serving with her on the Board of Regents, where I always respected what she had to say. Las Vegas has lost one of its shining lights.”

She arrived in Las Vegas from California in 1942 to work at Basic Magnesium Industries. She married Harvey Dondero, a teacher at Las Vegas High School, in 1945, and the couple moved to Carson City while he worked for the U.S. Office of Education, before returning to Las Vegas in 1948, according to a biography on UNLV’s website outlining Dondero’s induction into the Business Hall of Fame at the university’s Lee Business School.

A mother of five, Dondero first became active in public education at Mayfield Grade School, and was mentored by Maude Frazier, the superintendent for Las Vegas schools. Dondero credited Frazier’s influence as prompting her to seek public office. She became the first elected female Clark County commissioner in 1975, when she took office after winning a contested Democratic primary and general election in 1974. When she filed to run in March 1974, Dondero told a reporter that a woman’s viewpoint on the commission would be “refreshing” and “constructive,” Review-Journal archives show.

“I’m sure that every family person in this area is concerned about the same things I am,” she said at the time, “such as safety, security, the cost of living and good planning.”

Even before running for County Commission, Dondero had a long record of community service. She was involved in a slew of organizations, serving as executive director of the local Girl Scout organization; past president of the local and state PTA; on the State Parks Advisory Commission; and as vice chairman of the Las Vegas Metropolitan Beautification Committee, among others.

NO TO NOTE TAKING

Dondero’s reception among her male counterparts on the commission had a chilly start. Her colleagues told her to “take notes,” in a closed session when she started in 1975. She didn’t comply, refusing with “polite good humor,” according to one newspaper account.

Two years later, Dondero became chairman of the County Commission in 1977. She was re-elected to a second two-year term in 1976. That race was necessary halfway into her four-year term because the Nevada Supreme Court had declared the election districts were unconstitutional.

Two decades later, Dondero was still winning elections. In 1996 she was elected to the Nevada System of Higher Education Board of Regents, where she served until 2008.

“She was a pioneer,” for women in politics and public service, Nevada historian and UNLV history professor Michael Green said Monday.

“She came to it the way, historically, women were expected to get involved,” Green said of Dondero’s start in the PTA and then the Girl Scouts. “Today it’s a very different situation — happily.”

As a Clark County commissioner, Dondero oversaw the expansion of McCarran International Airport and flood control projects. As chairwoman of the Las Vegas Valley Water District Board, Dondero also helped ensure adequate water supplies, according to the bio. She also was on the Summerlin Hospital Board of Trustees and the Bureau of Land Management Resource Advisory Council.

‘WARMTH, CARE AND CONCERN’

Clark County Commissioner Susan Brager called Dondero a personal mentor who helped pave the way for women in county government.

“She’s just an admirable, incredible woman,” Brager said.

Over the past 24 years, Brager said she was fortunate to learn from Dondero, whom she said always “gave you that feeling of warmth, care and concern.”

“I feel she had a huge impact on the community,” County Commissioner Mary Beth Scow said of Dondero, noting her devotion to education and water issues over her long career.

Dondero’s passing brought words of praise from other leaders throughout the Las Vegas Valley.

Las Vegas Mayor Carolyn Goodman tweeted: “Thalia Dondero was a true Nevada pioneer, in leadership and for women …devoted to education & community betterment with kindness for all.”

“I’ve long known and respected Thalia, who broke so many glass ceilings in Nevada and always did it with style and grace,” U.S. Rep. Dina Titus, D-Nev., said in a statement. “All public servants can learn from the example she set.”

In a statement, Nevada State Democratic Party Chair Roberta Lange said Dondero was a “trailblazer who inspired even more women to get involved in politics and paved the way for them to run for office.”

In 2007, then-UNLV President David B. Ashley presented Dondero with an honorary doctor of law degree for her commitment to higher education and distinguished service to the community.

During her time on the Board of Regents, Dondero “brought a different perspective,” one that distinguished her from the businessmen, attorneys and longtime politicians of the Board of Regents, Green said.

Alluding to Board of Regents’ past controversies, Green noted Dondero “brought to that a levelheadedness that can be very useful.”

Green said that it speaks to Dondero’s influence that her children became politically engaged. He called them “good stock — the kind you need to build a community.”

Asked what Dondero might say to women today seeking politically active lives, Green said she would “quietly” suggest “get involved, find what interests you and pursue it.”

Dondero, he said, focused on issues such as water and parks and recreation: projects that improve quality of life.

Of Dondero’s contributions, Green said, “She did the best she could and that’s a nice way to be remembered.”

Review-Journal writer Christian Bertolaccini contributed to this story.

Contact Ben Botkin at bbotkin@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2904. Find @BenBotkin on Twitter. Contact Rachel Hershkovitz at rhershkovitz@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0381. Follow @rzhershkovitz on Twitter.