He ran for a seat on the Ohio County Commission because he believed residents deserved to know more, and that is what Don Nickerson and the Ohio County Commission believe they have accomplished over the past six years.
So, why continue?
Nickerson, a Republican who was elected in 2018, is an attorney with the firm Spilman, Thomas, and Battle in downtown Wheeling, is set to serve a second 6-year term after filing for re-election in May 2023.
“I was surprised I was unopposed because even when you’re a public official who’s trying to do the right thing, you still upset people along the way. But, as it turns out, no one opposed me and I’m very flattered by that,” said Nickerson, who also is a member of the Ohio County Development Authority. “I look forward to serving the people in Ohio County for another six years doing the same job I’ve done since joining the Ohio County Commission in 2018.
“People have heard me say all the time that I’m a stickler for transparency and responsiveness, and I think this body is far better at that now than it was before I joined,” he said. “Our agendas and our minutes are out there all of the time, and we publicize our meetings, and we encourage our residents to come to our meetings to let us know how we’re doing.”
At the time Nickerson joined the Ohio County Commission, he took with him goals to stabilize the County’s budget, to investigate how to keep The Highlands growing, and to communicate with the public more frequently than ever before.
“We’ve worked very hard at getting our budget under control as it continues to increase because the cost of everything else does,” Nickerson said. “We really do focus on spending the taxpayers’ money responsibly because that’s what this job entails. The County’s expenditures are now just under $24 million and it’s always a balancing test when it comes to the spending.
“We do our best to supply the services to our residents, and to treat our employees fairly, and the whole time we do it with the taxpayer on our minds,” he explained. “Plus, we’re always looking for ways for us to generate more revenue so we can do more for the people of Ohio County.”
Bass Pro/Cabela’s celebrated its 20th birthday at The Highlands on August 10 with a celebration that included sales, food trucks, live music, and fireworks at the end. The date also marked the very beginning of the development, one that has evolved into a diverse destination for thousands of local consumers and employees.
Commissioner Nickerson would like to see that continue when further expansion is possible.
“I’ve always been impressed with the success of The Highlands, especially following the pandemic as far as sales numbers go,” Nickerson said. “I think the continued diversification has helped a lot with that mix of retail, lodging, the restaurants and entertainment, and industrial, too. The key is to have a good array of businesses, so the numbers not only stay consistent but continue to improve.
“With the Guntry Club coming in, a new group of folks will be traveling to The Highlands, and that’s the key to success,” he said. “We look at everything very closely because we try to be very careful with our planning and spending, so we’ll see what’s possible in the years to come.”
The Next Half Dozen
The recent “Wings Over Wheeling” event at the Wheeling Ohio County Airport reminded thousands of local residents that 1) Ohio County does indeed have an airport, and 2) there is a ginormous need in the aviation industry for employees on every level of operation.
Nickerson is excited to witness the positive impact the partnership between West Liberty University and Marshall will have on the county airport and the on the future of flight options in Ohio County.
“We’ve taken a hard look at the county’s assets so we can see how we can maximize them, and we saw that with the airport during the ‘Wings Over Wheeling’ event a few weekends ago. Now that West Liberty has joined with Marshall’s Aviation program, our airport will be a far more active place again.
“We’re hoping the recent activity is only the beginning because there’s a lot of untapped potential at the facility,” he said. “We’ve invested into the aviation classroom and into further development with other services, and Kevin Price is doing an excellent job with all of it.”
But the job is the job, as far as Nickerson is concerned, and while he and fellow commissioners Zach Abraham and Randy Wharton will continue being attentive to opportunity, his concentration will remain the same during his second term.
“My main goal is to continue our work on the budget so we can be responsible public leaders while providing the best services possible. That’s what we’re supposed to do for the people of the county,” Nickerson said. “Of course, everyone wants to see good jobs added in this area so we can finally end that trend of losing population, and we’ll do everything we can to help make that happen.
“Everyone wants to make more money and that includes us as a county. That’s why we work hard to find the most responsible ways to do it,” he said. “So, those are the goals that I have heading into a second term, and hopefully we’ll see that growth we’ve been working toward.”
