Gaskin's influence felt across state By DAVID E. MALLOY The Herald-Dispatch     April 20,2006 SOUTH POINT, Ohio -- The influence of South Point Mayor Bill Gaskin goes far beyond the boundaries of this small, quiet little village located in the southernmost point of the Buckeye State. Gaskin, 76, served as president of the Ohio Municipal League five years ago and still serves on the organization's board. Currently Gaskin is serving as president of the Ohio Mayors Association. He makes one or two trips per month to Columbus to discuss areas of interest to cities, villages and municipalities all across Ohio. "I wanted to have some say about what goes on in the state of Ohio and to try to help this community," Gaskin said Tuesday. "I wanted to see we get our fair share." Over the years, Gaskin has helped the village receive several million dollars in state funds for infrastructure improvements and helped keep village rates for water, sewer and garbage at a rate around $33 per month, a rate few communities can match. John Mahoney, deputy director of the Ohio Municipal League, has known Gaskin for about 20 years and worked with him on a number of issues. "He's a great guy," Mahoney said. "He gives us a lot of good advice." The Ohio Municipal League lobbies the Ohio General Assembly on issues concerning cities and villages, works on legal issues and education and works on education programs, Mahoney said. Ohio has more than 900 municipalities and the mayor's association advocates on issues affecting cities. The group has several meetings per year, Gaskin said. "You can't beat Bill Gaskin," said South Point Village Administrator Bill Leighty. "He stays on top of things. He's gotten several million dollars to make improvements to the sewer plant, the water plant, for storm water drainage projects. He's a good steward of the village's dollars." Leighty called Gaskin "a good guy" who's easy to get along with and to work for. "I think it's fantastic the clout he has," he said. This week, the village is spending about $70,000 to pave and blacktop village streets, Leighty said. The village also plans to increase the size of its sewer plant by 50 percent, primarily to serve The Point, a 500-acre industrial park, that could be the area's best chance for industrial jobs over the next few decades. "The Point is our best chance for providing jobs to this area," Gaskin said. The Ohio Municipal League has several lawyers on the payroll and one of the main goals of the organization is to lobby state legislators on issues like water, sewer and infrastructure improvements and grants and loans. Gaskin was appointed to fill an unexpired term on South Point Village Council 30 years ago, elected to one term as a council member and then was elected mayor in 1979. He has been elected to seven, four-year terms since then. There are no term limits for mayor in South Point.