Wes Nakagiri

A long-time voice for efficient, effective, and accountable government, Wes Nakagiri is honored to represent the citizens of Livingston’s 3rd County Commission District. The 3rd District includes all of Tyrone Township and most of Hartland Township.

Commissioner Nakagiri has spent his entire career as an engineer and engineering manager in the automotive industry. He received his engineering degree from General Motors Institute in Flint, Michigan (now called Kettering University). He then went on to receive a Masters Degree in Applied Statistics from Oakland University in Rochester, Michigan.

From his childhood days, Commissioner Nakagiri learned the value of hard work as he delivered newspapers, pumped gas (in the days before self-serve gas stations), and worked as a farm laborer in the hot California summers.

In between work and school, he found time for athletic and academic competition. He won his city’s Punt, Pass, and Kick competition and was the catcher on his Little League baseball team that went 15-0 to capture the city championship. In addition to the athletic competition, he also enjoyed academic competition, once winning his city's recreational chess tournament.

During his professional career, in the fast-paced and highly competitive automotive industry, Nakagiri became known as someone who delivers results while working with colleagues in a collaborative and respectful manner. With his background in engineering and statistics, along with his “out-of-the-box” thinking, Nakagiri led numerous project teams in troubleshooting the toughest problems while improving operational efficiencies and increasing the bottom line.

Commissioner Nakagiri’s life experiences prepared him well to tackle the diversified challenges in the public policy arena. Serving the citizens of Livingston County, Nakagiri combines the strong work ethic learned as a young boy, the will to achieve learned from athletic and academic competitions, and keen problem-solving skills learned as an automotive engineer, to deliver well-thought-out policy solutions for Livingston County residents. He understands that delivering optimum results for citizens requires detailed knowledge of all sides of the issues. As such, he has developed a reputation for asking lots of questions - as his colleagues on the Board have seen first hand.

With a strong love of country, Nakagiri believes that each generation of Americans has an obligation to pass along a better America to the next generation. This is, in his view, achieving the American Dream. He is committed to continuing this dream for our next generations as he serves the citizens of Livingston County.

Commissioner Nakagiri has lived in Livingston County for over 20 years. He attends St. Mary Magdalene Orthodox Christian Church in Fenton. He resides in Hartland Township with Donna, his wife of 34 years, and her mother Carol.

Livingston County is divided into nine County Commission Districts. Voters in each district elect one person to represent them on the Livingston County Board of Commissioners. Each Commissioner represents about 20,000 citizens. County Commissioners are elected for a two-year term.

Wes Nakagiri was elected to his first term in November 2018. He assumed office in January 2019. Commissioner Nakagiri represents District 3. District 3 is comprised of all of Tyrone Township and Precincts 1, 3, 4, and 5 of Hartland Township. A map of District 3 is shown nearby. The green shaded portion shows the areas represented in District 3.

Among its primary duties, the Board of Commissioners (BOC) provides oversight of county offices and oversight of the county budget.

Pending any exceptions for holidays, the BOC meets on the second and fourth Monday of the month. A full schedule of the BOC and any committees can be found on the Livingston County website.

Commissioner Nakagiri serves on the General Government and Health and Human Services Committee, the Finance Committee, the Parks and Open Spaces Committee, and the Broadcast Committee.