Longtime local reporter Rodger Nichols has filed for the Wasco County Commission seat on the May 2016 ballot. Nichols is seeking Position 2 currently held by Steve Kramer. Nichols has spent 42 years in Wasco County media, most notably with The Dalles Chronicle and current employer Haystack Broadcasting. He has been the County’s representative on the Columbia River Gorge Commission since 2011. Nichols says he decided to run after a number of people approached him about concerns with deteriorating relationships with neighboring counties, increases in legal costs, and transparency issues. Nichols added he made his last on-air appearance with Haystack Broadcasting on September 3 due to Federal Communications Commission rules that require broadcast stations to provide matching time to other candidates for the same position for any on-air appearance. Nichols did say he will continue to interview, gather, and write news, but will not appear on-air.