By Brendan Best

Justin Nickels’ mercurial hometown political career began with an alien invasion.

When he was nine years old, Nickels saw the film Independence Day. After watching that, he admits, “I wanted to be president.”

Born on Jan. 9, 1987, in the port city of Manitowoc, just 22 years later Nickels was elected mayor of his hometown, making him one of the youngest mayors in the United States and securing his place in Wikipedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Justin_Nickels).

When Mayor Kevin Crawford announced he would not seek re-election after 20 years on the job, Nickels – already representing Manitowoc’s 2nd Aldermanic District since he was 18 – charged into the five-candidate primary promising a breath of fresh air, new vision, open and accessible government and fiscal responsibility. Youth was not mentioned, but it was implied in the energy he exuded in delivering his message of change.

In a Manitowoc Herald-Times Reporter guest editorial that was published 10 days before the primary vote, Nickels wrote:

“Year after year we ask department heads to reduce their budgets by 10 percent, yet we don’t require such sacrifice from our elected officials. The mayor needs to lead by clear example and do more with less. When elected, I will also reduce the mayor’s budget by 10 percent, including refusing the scheduled pay raise and returning an additional $5,000 of my salary and the $3,600 car allowance.”

He emerged the top vote getter in the Feb. 17 primary. In the April 7 mayoral election,
Nickels defeated fellow alderman Dave Soelder – a 39-year-old graduate of MIT – by a mere 15 votes. A manual recount gave an additional two votes to that margin, solidifying Nickels’ win at 4,722,-4705. He took office April 21.

Nickels’ attraction to politics has been the driving force behind his ambitions. He attended Manitowoc Lutheran High School, where he was on the student council and eventually became student body president. He is now pursuing a Bachelor’s degree in public administration at UW Green Bay.

As a freshman at the University of Wisconsin Manitowoc, Nickels served as vice president of the student senate, and later as its president for two years. Susanne Skubal, Nickels’ academic adviser, spoke highly of him:

“Justin has a profound respect for democracy and the democratic process. He is a person of integrity –thoroughly honest and discreet, which isn’t so easy for a gregarious young man like Justin.  Fiscally, I think he squeaks.

In 2005, at the age of 18, Nickels was elected as alderman for Manitowoc’s second district, replacing the incumbent who had held the position for 16 years.  He was re-elected in 2007, and was elected by his peers to serve as Common Council president.

Nickels held a few odd jobs during that time, including a cashiering position at a local supermarket. During his four-year term, Nickels will earn more than $280,000, which is a definite improvement over his old job.

The store director, Lane Landon, said Nickels had a strong rapport with customers. Ryan Nelson, a lifelong friend of Nickels, advanced that sentiment:

“His strongest characteristic has to be a combination of his charisma and his drive to help others. Ever since I’ve known him, he’s thought of ways to make life better for others before himself. He’s a very honest, humble and real man, and I’m honored to call him my best friend.”

When Crawford announced in early 2009 that he would not seek re-election, Nickels decided to run. When his parents, Dave and Patricia, found out, “they thought I was crazy.” But they strongly supported him, and even volunteered in his campaign.

Matt Kadow and Ryan Nelson worked closely with Nickels during the campaign. Nelson said of the trio “[we] put our blood, sweat and tears into this whole campaign… I’ll never forget those feelings. I couldn’t have shared them with two better individuals.”

As mayor, Nickels says he’ll focus on two key issues: reducing Manitowoc’s unemployment rate, which currently stands above 12 percent, and motivating the younger generation to get involved in the community.

In the current economy, fighting unemployment might be an uphill battle, but he is optimistic: “We need to bring forward ideas that are innovative and creative, while investing in the community.”

One of the ideas he floated in his campaign was to pursue Foreign Trade Zone status for the port of Manitowoc. “Making our city a U.S. Port of Entry will provide many businesses the opportunity to reduce or eliminate import, export and production costs,” he wrote in the aforementioned editorial.

Nickels, who is single, said he hopes to raise the image of Manitowoc as a vibrant community, where people will want to raise their children.

Manitowoc is a fully incorporated city of more than 34,000 inhabitants, replete with its own public utilities, transit system, publicly funded arts programs and global shipping port. For all intents and purposes, Justin Nickels is now in charge of all of it. At 22 years old, he may have to prove his mettle.

“I’ve always tried to live my life not being the typical 18 year old,” he said. “I just go in with the idea that I don’t know everything... I’m here to move things along.”

When asked about his future, Nickels replied that he is solely focused on his current job as mayor.

But as any fan of Independence Day knows, it takes more than a mayor to save the world. It takes a president.

Brendan Best is a 25-year-old Mass Communications major at the University of Wisconsin Manitowoc, where he is also the layout and design manager for the student newspaper, The Free Press. He can be reached at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
 

JUSTIN NICKELS AT A GLANCE