Skip Wilde excited to serve as commissioner

Skip Wilde wanted his grandchildren to witness him taking his oath of office as a Huron County commissioner.So his six grandkids — ages 9, 7, 5, 3, 2 and 6 months — and his immediate family were at his Norwalk home when Huron County Juvenile and Probate Court Judge Timothy Cardwell swore him in."It was great. I wanted the grandchildren to see it," Wilde said about the brief Dec. 23 ceremony. "It's something young people never get to see."In November, Wilde defeated Mike Nottke with 67 percent of the votes. Wilde will replace Gary Bauer, who didn't seek re-election and is retiring. He will join Terry Boose and Joe Hintz as commissioners, making it an all-Republican board."I think we have a good team," Wilde said.The Republicans essentially swept the local and national elections in the November election. Todd Corbin defeated Democratic incumbent Dane Howard to be elected sheriff while James Joel Sitterly defeated Daivia Kasper in the prosecutor's race.Wilde said he believes new blood will bring new ideas into the county."New people. New ideas," he added.Born and raised in Huron County, Wilde also is a businessman — formerly acting as a franchisee for Domino's Pizza. He lives in Norwalk with his wife, with whom he co-owns Anytime Fitness.This won't be Wilde's first time serving the public. Wilde served two terms as a member of Norwalk city council and was on the Norwalk City Schools board of education for one four-year term. He also was on the Huron County health department board."You have to listen to the public, which is very important, and (know) how to relate to them," Wilde said.As a commissioner, Wilde has two specific goals — fighting the drug epidemic and creating a five-year plan for buildings and grounds. "I want to take inventory of what we have," he said, referring to the various facilities.By creating a five-year plan, Wilde said he hopes the board can put away money."We need to budget for what will happen," he added. "We want to see what's coming."Wilde is part of the Imagine a Drug-Free Community Task Force. It consists of citizens and organizations working to build a network of support for individuals and families in the fight against not only heroin, but all drug and alcohol addiction in Huron County."I think it affects every person in the county. They are all affected by it," Wilde said.As a commissioner, he wants to collaborate with other counties to fight the drug epidemic. "So we don't duplicate services," Wilde said. "What I think we're missing here locally is recovery."In early October, the task force, under the leadership of Fisher-Titus Medical Center, organized "An Afternoon of Inspiration and Hope.""I think we will continue that next year," Wilde said.To prepare for being a commissioner, he attended an estimated 75 percent of the board meetings."I spent a year preparing. I went to a lot of meetings," Wilde said."I want to hit the ground running," he added. "I want to be active vs. talking."Newly elected Huron County Commissioner Skip Wilde (left) prepares to sign his oath of office as his wife Patti holds a family Bible. Judge Timothy Cardwell, of the Huron County juvenile and probate courts (right) came to Wilde's house for the brief swearing-in ceremony Dec. 23.Wilde