Brad Zeller stepping down from Morgan County post at the end of November
By David Blanchette
Photo/Steve Warmowski
Brad Zeller will retire from his position as Morgan County Commissioner at the end of November after 22 years in office, and they have been some very busy years.
“Once you’re elected you lose your identity and you’re no longer Brad Zeller the farmer, you’re Brad Zeller the commissioner,” the 67-year-old Zeller said. “People want to talk when they see you out about taxes, property values, roads or their neighbor that doesn’t clean their yard. I don’t necessarily work 24/7, but I’m a commissioner 24/7.”
Zeller is a lifelong Alexander resident and farmer who was first elected to the Morgan County Board in 2002. It was the first and only elected office he has sought, but he had to be talked into it. The late Morgan County Clerk Barb Gross and her husband, County Democratic Chairman Bill Gross, tried unsuccessfully for several years to convince Zeller to run for commissioner.
But Zeller changed his mind when former commissioner John Killam announced his retirement, and Zeller entered the commissioner’s race on the Democratic ticket.
Zeller received help from David Gross, Barb and Bill’s son. David Gross was married to Zeller’s twin sister, and Zeller got some good advice from his brother-in-law.
“He guided me to meetings, small events, meeting people, and just getting my name recognition out there,” Zeller recalled. “It seemed overwhelming at the time because I was considered the underdog entering the race. But we knocked on doors, went to all the parades and town events, and tried to get to know the people I would represent.”
Zeller ended up winning the 2002 race against Bill Meier, who would be elected himself two years later. The two men remain close friends.
At the time Zeller was elected, Morgan County was in the midst of trying to tie two separate geographic information systems (GIS) into the area 911 emergency systems. That was a vital consideration because GIS can help 911 operators send the proper emergency responders to the correct address. Zeller made it a top priority to get everyone on the same page and link a single, common GIS to the 911 system.
“About six months into my term, WLDS Radio News Director Gary Scott interviewed me and asked if we were making any progress on this issue,” Zeller said. “He wanted to make sure I was following through on my promise, and shortly thereafter we got things together, the E-911 board contributed a dollar amount to the county, and we went into the project together.”
The wind farm in eastern Morgan County was the largest issue that Zeller dealt with during his time as a commissioner.
“That brought a lot of controversy to the board and a lot of dissension. We just worked through that,” Zeller said. “It was a very difficult time, a very stressful time to be on the board. We had to re-create our ordinance and hired an outside counsel to help see us through that process.”
The role of chairman of the three-member Morgan County Board rotates, and Zeller had his first chance at the gavel during the third year into his term. He said the role and responsibilities of chairman are slightly different than being a board member, and “it was a privilege and an honor” to serve as chairman of the three-member county board.
“We have been very fortunate with the people who have come in to serve as commissioners, because nobody had any personal agenda or motivation,” Zeller said. “Their only priority was to make the county a better place to live.”
Zeller said that’s a different attitude than in some area counties where the governing boards are larger.
“I think on some of the larger boards you have some board members that really have personal agendas and that’s why they decided to run,” Zeller said. “Democrat or Republican, we just don’t deal with those kinds of politics on our small board. We are really there for all people and all parties.”
Zeller will retire after four years of his six-year term, which means that a replacement will have to be nominated and approved to fill the remaining two years of the term. That replacement will then need to seek election to a full term.
The decision to retire didn’t come easily, but Zeller feels it was the right time to leave the county board.
“Over a period of time things start to wear on you, I felt that I was losing my desire and it was time to bring a new person in,” Zeller said. “I think that’s a good thing to get some new eyes on the subject. You can get stagnant in what you do, so change can be good.”
Zeller plans to continue farming after retiring from the county board, and looks forward to traveling some more, particularly during the winter months when for the past 22 years he’s been occupied with the county’s Board of Review. But Zeller will always proudly remember the more than two decades he spent as a Morgan County Commissioner.
“I thank all of the people who put their support behind me and all of the elected officials who work for Morgan County,” Zeller said. “It really has been a good run. I will miss it, but I look forward to the future.”
