Government Relations Profile: Bill Nash.

SHARE

Former Rhode Island Building Officials Association (RIBOA) Chapter President Bill Nash (second from left) with former board officers Tom DiFusco (left), Bruce Zaloudek (second from right) and Wayne Pimental (right) during a chapter meeting in June 2012 in West Warwick, Rhode Island.

When you talk to Bill Nash, you immediately get the sense of passion he has for whatever he's talking about — whether it's his current job, the rewards and challenges of being a code official, or New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady's innocence — and you know he's not the kind to say anything but what he thinks. A native Rhode Islander, 21-year code official, and former president of the Rhode Island Building Officials Association (among several other regional directorships), Nash is one of the newer members of ICC's Government Relations staff, and one of the reasons he took the job was because he wanted to increase the association's presence in the Northeast. "Code officials whom I've known for years were surprised when I took the job at ICC," Nash remarks. "But I tell them that as a former code official myself, I know and share their concerns, what they go through on a daily basis, and that now I'm in the best position to help them out — to listen to them, represent them, and to get them the resources they need." Nash puts a lot of stock in being a do-er: his father was an electrician and instilled in his son the kind of work ethic New Englanders are famous for. He takes pride in his response time to email and phone communication — rarely does he let 24 hours pass without some kind of reply, even if he knows that it might not be what the sender wants to hear. "It's how I was raised and how I've always operated," he says. "It makes for some late nights, early mornings and weekend work. It doesn't always endear me to the people I reply to because I don't have a good poker face, even in writing." He smiles, and then says something that I think gets to the core of his philosophy. "As a code official I took pride in being firm, fair and consistent. If we disagree, we disagree honestly, plainly and with respect. I've tried to carry that forward in my work with ICC — and to do better with my poker face!" This trait has served Nash well in a number of situations in working with Chapters and various coalitions and ICC stakeholders. "I tell my groups, I've been in your shoes," he explains. "I've been through the lack of resources and support, the disappointed public, political pressure and threats, but you have to persevere and move forward. As a code official you are in a unique position to help people. You simply might have to agree to disagree. But while you may not agree with certain people or certain code provisions, your job is to engage people. You've got to be active and offer solutions, because that's how it gets better." As far as looking ahead goes, Nash has a busy October in store, and not just with work. Other than supporting Brady's innocence, he turns 50 on the 4th, his youngest son turns 21 on the 13th, and his only daughter is getting married on the 24th. So, if he takes more than 24 hours to get back to you on any of those days, it is understandable — but don't be surprised if you hear from him anyways.