There was no “light bulb” moment that brought Jason Abel to serving his community.

The more he paid attention to the working of Shelby County government, there more he became determined to get involved.

On Tuesday morning at the Shelby County Courthouse Annex, Abel (photo, right) participated in his first meeting with the Shelby County Commissioners, a position he was elected to during the 2022 election cycle.

“I saw a lot of things popping up on social media that, quite honestly, I hadn’t paid much attention to the workings of county government,” said Abel after Tuesday’s meeting. “It was both refreshing to see private citizens shedding light on the workings of county government and some of the ways the decisions were made. County government affects the day-to-day lives of all of us that live in the county.”

Abel defeated incumbent Chris Ross to become the North District representative. He joins Don Parker (South District) and Kevin Nigh (Center District) as Shelby County Commissioners.

After defeating Ross in the May primary, Abel was unopposed in the General Election which provided him with a seven-month training period to assume the seat.

“Since May it’s been like trying to drink from an information fire hose,” said Abel, a Shelbyville firefighter. “I have been lucky to be able to do a lot of homework, a lot of research, and talk to a lot of stakeholders in the community.”

Ross believes the way the election went allowed him to be better prepared for the job ahead.

“It was an advantage in a sense that I don’t have any political experience,” he said. “I joke that I never ran for student council in high school. It’s been an advantage to become educated on different perspectives and to get a better idea of how these issues, these opportunities that everybody are talking about, on how we can make sure the county government does the right things for the community moving forward. And also how can we make sure the community feels like a vested stakeholder in how the county comes to those conclusions.”

Despite all the preparation, Abel still felt nervous when he officially sat in his chair Tuesday morning with a nameplate in front of him.

“It’s a responsibility that I am still trying to wrap my head around,” he said. “The last two months have really made me realize the impact and the workings of county government have on everybody’s day-to-day lives.

“So was I nervous? Absolutely. Was I excited? Yes.”

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