GUEST COMMENT
Rest in peace, friend of Chico [See Downstroke, page 8, for more on this story.] passing. L Nickell’s Tom was truly unique—as a public
ike so many, I was shocked to hear of Tom
servant to this community and as my friend. In his roles of vice mayor, park by commissioner, CARD Evan trustee and concerned Tuchinsky citizen, he served Chicoans his way. I met Tom in 2006, six months after I’d arrived in Chico as the new editor of the CN&R. Retired from the California Highway Patrol, Tom threw his hat in the ring for City Council that year. Bob Speer and I interviewed the candidates ahead of the paper’s endorsements. At the end of our session, Tom Tom Nickell asked me, “Are you related to Harold Tuchinsky, Mr. T?” Turns out, my father was his junior high woodshop teacher in Los Angeles, and Tom still had a project from those days in his garage. The CN&R ended up endorsing Mark Sorensen, much to the consternation of the cadre of progressive who’d rallied around
Tom. Amid a barrage of angry emails and calls, I reached out to Tom. “No explanation necessary,” he interjected. “I just have to knock on a few more doors.” Relieved by his grace, I remarked how I wished more of his backers had the same reaction. His response: “If you need to borrow my flak jacket, let me know.” Come November, he edged Sorensen by 78 votes. Tom became vice mayor the next twoyear cycle and, characteristically, supported Sorensen’s appointment to the Planning Commission. (Sorensen, hired last month as Chico’s new city manager, went on to serve two council terms, leading a conservative majority as mayor.) Tom looked past political labels to find allies willing to tackle city problems. His approach was iconoclastic. Tom shared beliefs strongly held by progressives— smart growth and protecting the environment, for instance—while also standing firm for GUEST COMMENT C O N T I N U E D
O N PA G E 7
AUGUST 4, 2022
CN&R
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