Hardworking woman
Schmidt honored by Sen. Alvaradogil as Tuolumne County’s Woman of the Year
Mary Anne Schmidt, an advocate, activist and leader in Tuolumne County, was recognized Tuesday as 2024 Woman of the Year for Tuolumne County by State Sen. Marie Alvarado-gil of District 4, during a public presentation before the county Board of Supervisors.
Schmidt, who was born in 1950 at St. Bernardine’s Hospital in the City of San Bernardino, came to Tuolumne County in 1984. She now lives in the town of Tuolumne; she’s served for three years on the county’s Behavioral Health Advisory Board, which is set up and intended to promote wellness, education, early intervention, prevention, treatment and recovery; and she has served as an American Red Cross emergency volunteer.
“We’re here today to celebrate Tuolumne County’s Woman of the Year honoree,” Heidi Mayerhofer, a district representative for Alvarado-gil, told the board and audience in the board’s chambers on the fourth floor of the County Administration Center at 2 S. Green St. in Sonora.
Scmidt’s “tireless advocacy across various fronts exemplifies the spirit of this accolade,” Mark Fischer, a county administrative analyst, stated in a memo to the board. “Mary Anne’s relentless pursuit of justice and equality, from organizing rallies for women’s reproductive rights to advocating against gun violence, showcases her deep commitment to societal betterment.
Schmidt’s involvement with the Tuolumne County Behavioral Health Board and passion for educational reform and environmental stewardship also highlight her contributions to the Sonora and Tuolumne County communities, the memo stated.
“Moreover, her engagement with the Red Cross and dedication to civic education stand as testaments to her unwavering commitment to service and community empowerment. Mary Anne’s influence extends through her advocacy for the arts, enriching our cultural landscape and fos
tering a more inclusive and empathetic society.”
Schmidt was recommended as Tuolumne County’s 2024 Woman of the Year by county District 5 Supervisor Jaron Brandon, Mayerhofer said.
“I spoke with Jaron this morning and he was marveling at how Mary Anne began this process of bringing people into county government and really making a difference,” Mayerhofer said. “She’s been recognized in Supervisor Brandon’s words as ‘ever the quiet community organizer and volunteer.’ ”
“Mary Anne provides immense campaign and candidate support to those aspiring to serve Tuolumne County,” Mayerhofer said, quoting Brandon’s letter of recommendation. “Mary Anne works diligently to keep the public informed on topics that will affect the residents of Tuolumne County.”
Dore Bietz, the county Office of Emergency Services assistant director, came up during public comment on Schmidt’s recognition and told how she first met Schmidt in June 2019.
“That lovely lady was Mary Anne Schmidt and when I started my role here with county OES a year and a half later, she was one of the first to call me and say, ‘Dore, we gotta work on things.’ And ever since she has been an incredible supporter and advocate for OES. She was one of the first to help create our access and functional needs advisory to OES. I’m very excited and honored and grateful. Thank you Mary Anne.”
Nikki Coleman, philanthropy officer at Adventist Health Sonora, spoke next about Schmidt and said she deserves to be recognized because she has strong mana — spiritual energy and healing power, which is lost or gained by actions, strengths that are evident and respected in Polynesian women and culture.
“I applaud Mary Anne for all of the work that she has done in this community,” Coleman said. “Someone mentioned earlier that she does it very quietly. She’s very humble. I’m proud to celebrate her on a little bit louder level here today. She inspires our youth. She inspires other women in our county to use their voices in a respectful, meaningful, and impactful way. She speaks my language.”
Nominations for 2024 Woman of the Year honorees opened in January, Mayerhofer said. It was a month-long process that included collection names and information from 13 counties, and selecting honorees from each county.
“It is with a humble heart that I accept this award,” Schmidt told the county Board of Supervisors. “Yesterday I got a text referring to me as a troublemaker, and I took that as a compliment. Well-behaved women seldom make herstory. I raise my voice respectfully. Not so that I can shout, but for those without a voice can be heard.”
The four board members present Tuesday did not vote on Alvaradogil’s recognition of Schmidt. Supervisors Brandon and Ryan Campbell praised Schmidt in their remarks. District 3 Supervisor Anaiah Kirk said he was debating whether he should say anything.
“As an elected supervisor, people want to hear your opinions, but sometimes your opinions don’t match up with people in the room,” Kirk said. “I get the process for Woman of the Year is through Gil’s office. It was done by Supervisor Brandon. But I am really bummed out that our board didn’t get to weigh in on this process, because though we didn’t get to weigh in on it, it’s here before us and now we have to make comment on it.”
Kirk said he found the language of the memo from the County Administrator’s Office overburdened by politically weighted terms like “women’s reproductive rights” and “gun violence,” which he said go against his own beliefs on abortion and the Second Amendment, so he couldn’t recommend the way Schmidt’s advocacy, activism, and civic involvement was described.
“The way the memo is written is disheartening because what I heard today about Mary Anne was really positive, like delivering meals, the Red Cross, against domestic violence, against racism, tutoring children, prison rehabilitation,” he said. “I work in that environment. We need more Mary Annes in that environment.”
Coleman later said of Kirk’s remarks, “Anaiah had the opportunity to acknowledge the volunteer efforts of a well deserving, hardworking woman, and instead chose to railroad her award ceremony so that he could talk about what ‘bums’ him out. Especially with a district representative from the Senator’s office in attendance, it was embarrassing. There is a time and place for debate on political issues. A Woman of the Year presentation for a community champion… that’s not it.”
Schmidt is one of 13 women recognized as 2024 Woman of the Year in the 13 counties that make up District 4. Alvarado-gil also plans to recognize Sonora City Administrator Melissa Eads, a resident of Calaveras County, as one of District 4’s historymaking women in their communities.
Earlier this month, Alvarado-gil recognized Merita Callaway, the former Calaveras County District 3 supervisor, in Sacramento as the 2024 Woman of the Year for state Senate District 4, which covers Nevada, Placer, El Dorado, Amador, Alpine, Mono, Inyo, Calaveras, Tuolumne, Stanislaus, Mariposa, Merced, and Madera counties.