Outgoing County Commissioner Nancy McDermid is the first woman in Douglas County history to reach the three-term limit for the office.
She is only the third person in county history to hit the term limit, following Kelly Kite and Doug Johnson.
McDermid’s involvement in county politics began when she was appointed to the Douglas County Planning Commission in 2002, which she referred to as a good training ground in a 2006 interview with R-C reporter Susie Vasquez.
In September, longtime Stateline resident Kelly Krolicki remembered her as the woman who owned the candy store at the Y.
Originally from Witchita Falls, Texas, McDermid graduated from Midwestern State University with a bachelor’s degree in history and political science. She married her first husband and travelled to Germany for two years where she taught English and history to American students.
She had her first two children before returning to San Francisco, where she had her third, and time to earn a masters degree in public administration in environmental management.
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“In her spare time she attended culinary arts school to perfect her cooking skills,” Krolicki said.
She moved to South Lake Tahoe in 1977 where she owned the Country Place, a Southwestern decor store at the Y.
“It had a large open display bins wide-planked floors,” Krolicki said. “You could purchase great clothing, dishware and linens. This was all before Napa was cool. Nancy was ahead of her time, a bit of a renaissance gal.”
Krolicki said McDermid’s daughter reports still being asked if her mother gives cooking classes.
“She was Martha Stewart before we knew who Martha Stewart was,” Krolicki said. “She has unbelievable taste in food, home decor, plans and husbands.”
Krolicki credited McDermid with bringing AYSO soccer from Oklahoma to South Lake Tahoe.
McDermid moved to Carson Valley in 2000 and was appointed to the planning commission two years later where she later became chairwoman.
In 2006, she took the leap and filed for Douglas County commissioner. She defeated
She defeated her Republican opponent in the primary and a Democrat in the general election and took office in 2007.
On Dec. 6, 2018, commissioners approved a proclamation in honor of McDermid’s service to the county.
She was credited as one of the founders of the Tahoe Prosperity Center, and served on the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency Board, along with a baker’s dozen other boards related to Lake Tahoe.
She advocated for Lake Tahoe recreational facilities including the North Kingsbury Trailhead and the first phase of the Stateline to Stateline Bike Way.
“(She) was a primary force behind the construction of the 83,000-square-foot Douglas County Community and Senior Center, completing construction ahead of schedule and under budget,” the proclamation read.
