In his 20 years as Licking County Commissioner, Tim Bubb, the 72-year-old Republican incumbent running for Licking County Commissioner this November, has not lost sight of his mission: to help residents of his community thrive.
In the 20 years since his first election, he has helped put together 20 annual budgets for Licking County, hired 20 years worth of staff, and helped lead a top-to-bottom renovation of the 148-year-old Licking County Courthouse.
Bubb, who was first elected in 2004 and took office in 2005, will face candidate James Snedden, a Democrat from St. Louisville, in the race for county commissioner this November.
“I am the senior commissioner here,” Bubb said. “There is some benefit to the people of Licking County to have an experienced commissioner that knows how we do things. How we get things done.”
Bubb grew up in Newark, Ohio, and has been in the area most of his life. After he graduated from Ohio University in 1974, he started working for the Newark Area Chamber of Commerce in economic development and membership services. He then worked in communication for the Newark Air Force base. And from 1985-2004, he worked at Heritage Radio Network as the news director.
Bubb has been married to his wife, Marrianne, since 1976, and together they have three sons. Bubb also has two grandchildren and a great-granddaughter. In his free time, he enjoys biking with his wife, doing woodworking projects, and spending time with his family.
Since he has been in office, he has worked to get the UNESCO World Heritage Site title for the Newark Earthworks, helped develop the transportation improvement district, and helped create Grow Licking County, and Explore Licking County.
“County government is right here,” Bubb said. “When I go to Kroger or Walmart or whatever, I am with my people and the people of Licking County I serve.”
Bubb is on the board of the Salvation Army, and as a commissioner, he said he works to provide services to help unhoused people. Bubb said there are many reasons that people are unhoused, but he has encountered people who prefer to be unhoused.
“I don’t want anybody to be homeless in a perfect world, except it’s not a perfect world. And some people choose that as their lifestyle,” Bubb said. “There is no county in Ohio that doesn’t have some of that [poverty].”
Bubb said commissioners have tried to combat poverty by ensuring there are plenty of job opportunities for people in Licking County. Since Bubb has taken office, he said, he has encouraged new businesses and industries.
“You can’t stand still as a community,” Bubb said. “You always have to keep growing.”
Bubb said that businesses have come and gone in Licking County, and he has welcomed more business because, otherwise, the local economy will decline. He said it is important that there are always jobs for people in the county.
“We’re not struggling here. We’re struggling to keep up,” Bubb said.
Since Intel announced in 2022 that it would build the world’s largest computer-chip manufacturing campus in Licking County, Bubb said he has been busy.
“It’s like drinking from a fire hose some weeks because so many people want to talk to us about things that are happening,” he said.
He says people are often reaching out about building housing, commercial buildings, road construction, and other development projects. But he enjoys the challenge and is excited about the growth coming to the county.
“Every day is different,” he said. “I find that challenging.”
Caroline Zollinger writes for TheReportingProject.org, the nonprofit news organization of Denison University’s Journalism program, which is supported by generous donations from readers. Sign up for The Reporting Project newsletter here.