MASON FOR MAYOR
Donald Mason is a lifelong resident of Zanesville, Ohio where he graduated as a Class Officer from Zanesville High School.
His past public service included serving two terms as Commissioner of the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio. He was first appointed to the PUCO in 1998 by Governor George Voinovich and reappointed in 2003 by Governor Robert Taft. He was unanimously confirmed by the Ohio Senate on both occasions.
Commissioner Mason also represents Ohio (appointed by Governor John Kasich) on the Interstate Oil and Gas Compact Commission from 2015 to present and also had prior service as appointed by Governor George V Voinovich and Governor Bob Taft from 1995 until 2010, where he chaired various committees, eventually becoming vice-chair from 2003-2004 serving with then chairman Bill Richardson, Governor of New Mexico. Donald L. Mason also served the State of Ohio as Commissioner of the Oil and Gas Commission, a public body established as an appellant board for decisions from the Chief of Oil and Gas.
In May of 2017, Mason was appointed to be a trustee of Kent State University, Ohio’s second largest university. He serves as Chairman of the Investment Committee.
Additionally, his prior governmental service includes the Ohio Department of Natural Resources where he served as Chief of the Division of Oil and Gas, and was on the Board and as an officer and President of the Groundwater Protection Council.
Commissioner Mason was appointed by former U.S. Secretary of Energy Spencer Abraham and reappointed by Secretary Samuel Bodman to serve on the National Petroleum Council. He was a member of the National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners (NARUC) where he served as chairman of the Gas Committee and member of the board of directors. Additionally, he was a government representative and chairman on the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Technical Hazardous Liquid Pipeline Safety Committee. Mason also served as chairman of the Gas Technology Institute Public Interest Advisory Committee.
Mason has long been committed to public service. After graduating from college, he was elected to the Zanesville City Council as a write-in candidate in 1979 and was elected city wide as President of Council in 1981. In 1983, at the age of 26, Mason was elected Mayor of the city of Zanesville, where he oversaw natural gas and cable negotiations, water and sewer infrastructure development and other public works projects. Included within the projects was a development of the water; sewer, electricity and natural gas infrastructure were the Northpointe Industrial Park of over 400 acres, which became the city’s ‘flagship’ for business and economic growth. He was subsequently re-elected in 1987. Furthermore, Mason’s administration built the first water treatment facility in the area in order to remove many of the heavy minerals which were causing damage to hot water tanks, plumbing, laundry as well as for domestic consumption. He expanded and modernized the waste water facility and was able to successfully receive $4.5 million of grant and low interest loans to install a sewer system in the City’s east end.
Leaving local government in 1991, Mason then became Chief of the Division of Oil and Gas at the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) where he supervised regulatory activities and developed environmental programs for the safe and healthy extraction of oil and gas resources. He also served on the Hazardous Waste Facilities Board, which reviewed permits for hazardous waste storage sites in Ohio. Also from 1993-1995, as Deputy Director of ODNR, he supervised the Divisions of Parks, Forestry, Watercraft, Natural Area Preserves, and Wildlife. Those agencies totaled over 2000 employees and $100,000,000 in annual budgets.
Presently, Mason is a private attorney at the law firm or Roetzel and Andress, LPA. He also works on infrastructure development projects such as pipeline development and small-scale hydropower as well as oil and natural gas matters.
Mason graduated with a degree in political science from Muskingum College where he was an NCAA All American wrestler and later earned his law degree from Capital University, graduating cum laud.
Mason is the Past-President of the 106 Year Old Zanesville Rotary with over 37 years of perfect attendance and is a multiple Paul Harris Fellow. He is also a 32nd degree Mason, Shriner, and a member of the several other Masonic organizations such as York and Scottish Rites, Amrou Grotto and the Knights of Columbus. In 2010, he received an award for Outstanding Community Service by the Grandmaster of all Ohio Masons. Since 2004, Mason has been a Trustee of the Muskingum County Library System and is presently the Vice President of the Board. He has served in the past as President and as Secretary to the Board.
He is in his 40th year as an Ohio high school wrestling official. He has been selected to referee the Ohio High School State Wrestling Championships on numerous occasions. He is a member of the Zanesville High School and Muskingum University Halls of Fame. He is a lifetime member of the NAACP, where he serves on the Muskingum County Chapter Board and has been the Master of ceremonies for the Annual Freedom Fund Dinner.
Additionally, former Mayor Butch Zwelling appointed Don as the Chairman of the Zanesville Planning Commission, member of the Board of Zoning Appeals, Downtown Design Review Board and Design Review Board.
In 2017 and 2018 Don Mason raised just under $8000 for the Carr Center to help our community. This helped to provided speech therapy for children and elderly daycare for the community.
He, his wife, Danielle, and their three children live in Zanesville, Ohio.
