Nancy Ferguson has done more than her share of home renovations over the years, but she’s gotten herself into another one. A few years ago, the New Albany mayor and her husband, Gerald, purchased a fixer-upper in Martha’s Vineyard, where they have vacationed for years. Since then, her “vacations” to the island have turned into work trips.
“We really like it there – except when we have to go up and work,” Ferguson says with a laugh.
Her experience with house renovations – beginning with a two-family home in German Village the couple bought shortly after they married – contributed to her involvement in the restoration of the 1860 Ealy House as a volunteer with the New Albany Plain Township Historical Society. Upon the completion of the restoration in 2010, the society honored Ferguson for her work.
“They made me the curator of the Ealy House, which I think is a fancy title for ‘maintenance man,’” she says, joking. “The historical society has always had a place in my heart.”
The historical society is just one example of the various nonprofit organizations Ferguson has assisted in various capacities – both in her role as mayor of New Albany for the last decade and in her free time. In Ferguson’s view, one of the mayor’s main objectives is to support the organizations that support the city’s residents.
“Their function is to serve our residents, and they need support as well,” she says. “After I became mayor, I tried to get some financial support for some of these organizations so they could concentrate more on serving the community rather than just doing fundraising all the time.”
The historical society, for example, used to spend 95 percent of its time fundraising in order to pay its bills, she says.
“With a minimal amount of support from (the city of) New Albany, they now spend 90 percent of their time thinking about how they can teach local history.”
After Ferguson was appointed to village council in 1998, she began attending meetings of as many nonprofits as she could fit into her schedule.
“Your role (as a councilperson) is to get in the community and find out what people want – what their needs and priorities are – and then go back to council and try to get some of those things accomplished. Even in New Albany, you don’t have an unlimited amount of money. You have to prioritize.”
Ferguson has an undergraduate degree in education from The Ohio State University, but after a few years teaching, she decided to head to law school at Capital University, where she met “Gerry” on her first day. They got married halfway through law school and, after graduation, settled into legal jobs – Nancy for the state in the Division of Real Estate and later the Division of Securities. Gerry is retiring from a 33-year career at law firm Vorys, Sater, Seymour & Pease, LLP this December.
From her state position, Ferguson moved on to a magistrate role for the Franklin County Municipal Court and then
to part-time work as a magistrate at various central Ohio mayor’s courts, including Bexley, Whitehall, Delaware and Gahanna.
During the couple's years in German Village, their only son, James, who goes by Chip, was born. He’s now living in Austin, Texas, is engaged and has a career in real estate. The Fergusons moved to Bexley during Chip’s years in elementary school, then built a house in New Albany, to which they relocated in 1996.
“One of my friends that I met at the (New Albany) Country Club … got appointed to the Architectural Review Board and was telling me it was so fun,” Ferguson says. “There was an opening on council and I applied, but did not get it. A month or two later, they had another opening. I went back and interviewed and got it. I had two years there and then I ran for re-election.”
She was on council for six years before she was elected mayor.
“When the opportunity came about for me to run for mayor, I felt like I knew most of the things our residents wanted. I spent two and a half months going door-to-door to every house in New Albany and I had a conversation with everyone who answered their door about what the community’s priorities were and what things our residents wanted me to work on,” she says. “That was one of the best experiences I’ve had in my years on council and as mayor – finding out what they want and trying to find a way to give it to them within the budget that we have.”
Many changes have taken place in New Albany during the 16-plus years Ferguson has been a part of its government, and though she doesn’t take credit for them – “I think our whole community is working to make great things happen,” she says – she is proud of what has been accomplished. A new police station and service facility as well as the Jeanne B. McCoy Community Center for the Arts and the Philip Heit Center for Healthy New Albany were all financed without property tax increases for residents.
Two other notable changes: buried utility lines in the historic village center and increased leisure trail connectivity.
