Right after Bill Nighbert was sworn in as president of the Kentucky League of Cities (KLC) in 2002, he called his then five-year-old son Benton to the stage, and hoisted him above the podium showing the audience of KLC staff and city officials what drove him to public service.
“This is why I do what I do … here is the reason I serve,” Nighbert told the audience recalled Kentucky League of Cities CEO/Executive Director J.D. Chaney in a Facebook post.
Chaney noted that this moment said a lot about Nighbert.
“In my opinion, that moment captured the Bill Nighbert we knew at KLC – dedicated to his family forever and always driven to pave a better way for the future generations that follow him,” Chaney wrote on Facebook.
WILLIAMSBURG â Former Williamsburg Mayor Bill Nighbert passed away on Thursday.
Nighbert served as Williamsburg mayor for 10 years during which time he also served as president of the Kentucky League of Cities. In 2004, Nighbert resigned from his position as mayor to take the position of Deputy Commissioner for the Governorâs Office for Local Development.
Nighbert was appointed to that position by former Governor Ernie Fletcher and was named Secretary of the Transportation Cabinet the following year.
Nighbert showed his love of the youth in his community as he was the president of the Optimist Club, coached little league football, baseball, and basketball, chaired the booster club and volunteered for countless other community activities.
Charles William “Bill” Nighbert passed away peacefully surrounded by his family on January 21, 2021.
Bill was the beloved husband of Susan for thirty-four years and father to Brad (Monica), Renee (Chris), and Benton as well as brother to Dr. Ed Nighbert (Sharon) and Kenneth Nighbert (Anne). He is also survived by his mother-in-law, Lucille Kitchens.
Bill was a member of the First Baptist Church of Williamsburg. He had various jobs in city and county government before being elected Mayor of Williamsburg. During that time, he served as President of the Kentucky League of Cities. He was appointed by Governor Ernie Fletcher as the Deputy Commissioner of the Department of Local Government and Secretary of the Transportation Cabinet. But more than his selfless community service, Bill will be remembered for his love of his friends and family.