2 vie for Ottawa County commissioner seat

PORT CLINTON - Two candidates, Democrat Michael Bassett and Republican Donald Douglas, are vying for a place on Ottawa County’s board of commissioners in a key local race in the general election on Nov. 6.

Michael Bassett

Bassett is a local attorney with a practice in Port Clinton, where he has more than a decade of experience dealing primarily with child custody cases. Born and raised in Oak Harbor, Bassett now resides in Catawba Island with his wife, Stacy.

Bassett is a graduate of Oak Harbor High School, American University in Washington D.C. and the University of Toledo College of Law.

Bassett previously served on the Port Clinton City School District’s Board of Education, and said during that time, he helped develop a plan to deal with aging facilities and prepare for the future.

That, as well as Bassett’s local law practice, has given him the experience to deal with challenges facing Ottawa County, he said.

“I represent survivors of domestic violence across the state in complex custody cases,” he said. “From them, I learned the importance of never giving up and trying everything you can think of, even when the situation seems pretty desperate.”

Bassett also works with people dealing with substance abuse issues and has seen the terrible human cost the drug epidemic has had.

“Four people I’ve known from my practice have died from overdoses in the past five years, and every time, I felt that loss keenly,” he said. “I don’t accept that there should be one more death by overdose.”

If elected commissioner, Bassett wants to pursue the federal Drug-Free Communities grant, along with ensuring law enforcement, like the sheriff’s office and Ottawa County Drug Task Force, has the resources they need.

Along with workforce development and promoting skilled trades, protecting the health of Lake Erie is another top priority for Bassett.

“Without the lake, it’s game over,” he said. “To solve any of the problems that we face today, we’re going to have to work together. Not as Democrats and Republicans, residents of Genoa or Port Clinton or Oak Harbor, but as people who understand we’re all in this together.”

Don Douglas

Douglas, of Oak Harbor, is an Ohio licensed life and health insurance agent. With a degree in business management, he has had an over 35-year career in inventory and cost control, cost accounting and business consulting.

A resident of Ottawa County his entire life, Douglas also has over 15 years of experience in community service, both in volunteer organizations and as an elected official.

Douglas has been a member of Oak Harbor’s village council for 10 years, began serving his third consecutive four-year term as a councilman in 2016 and previously served as council president before being appointed to mayor in August.

He also previously served as the village’s finance chairman, chair of its parks and recreation committee and a member of their public utilities committee. Douglas is a board member and former treasurer for the Oak Harbor Chamber of Commerce as well.

“Every bit of this path gets just a little more interesting and exciting to me as we go,” he said. “This is a vision of my track record — successful, dedicated and committed to seeing the job through.”

Throughout the past eight months, Douglas said he has spent a lot of time meeting with elected officials and county operations to learn and better understand how they function and interact with commissioners.

Among Douglas’ priorities, if elected, are preserving one of Ottawa County’s greatest assets, Lake Erie, working collaboratively to deal with the opioid crisis, and working toward sustaining operations at the Davis-Besse Nuclear Power Station

“This campaign should simply be about the candidates’ qualifications, successful career, track record and the ability to work together to accomplish positive results for the future of this great county,” he said.  “I believe I’m the right candidate at the right time to serve Ottawa County.”

jstinchcom@gannett.com

419-680-4897

Twitter: @JonDBN