Nickolay decided it was time to ‘step up’ and help city council

Former mayor willing to serve remainder of term

He remembers the day back in 2020 when some friends were commenting on items they didn’t like how the city of New Prague was handling. Chuck Nickolay decided then it was time to do something rather than just complain.

Last Monday, Nickolay was appointed to serve the remainder of former Mayor Duane Jirik’s term after the city council declared Jirik’s term vacated following his sudden resignation May 16. Nickolay is expected to be sworn in at the next New Prague City Council meeting June 16.

Having seen the mayor’s post open up, Nickolay has watched how the council handled filling the post. He said he told Councilor Bruce Wolf, the council’s vice president, he’d be willing to serve if asked. Monday, Nickolay was in the audience at the city council meeting and was prepared to accept an appointment if one was offered. He sees the role of mayor as being the “face of the city” in addition to running council meetings.

“I felt it was my civic duty to step up,” he said.

A New Prague native, Nickolay, 67, a retired controller of Adelphia Metals in New Prague and an accountant by training, was unanimously approved for the appointment at the June 2 meeting after Councilor Bruce Wolf declined to switch from city council vice president to mayor. Had Wolf made the switch, the council would have had to appoint someone to fill the remainder of Wolf’s term since he had less than 24 months left on the term, according to New Prague’s city charter.

After defeating Jirik by a narrow margin in 2010, Nickolay served as mayor from January of 2011 through the end of 2020. During his time as mayor, the city welcomed new businesses into...

To see more on this story pick up the June 12, 2025 print edition of The New Prague Times.