East Lyme — The Southeastern Connecticut Council of Governments elected First Selectman Mark Nickerson as its new chairperson this week, an honor he said was also a great opportunity to give back to the region.

The council of governments, or COG, which is made up of leaders from 22 towns, cities and boroughs across southeastern Connecticut, elected Nickerson into the position Wednesday after COG’s most recent chairman, Lisbon First Selectman Tom Sparkman, recommended Nickerson for the position. Sparkman chairs the committee tasked with nominating COG's executive committee, which includes its chairperson, and has been a COG member for the last 23 years.

Though a new chairman typically is  elected every year so as to allow for a cross-section of leadership from towns of differing sizes, Sparkman said, Nickerson’s election is not without its merits.

Sparkman said that to be recommended for the position, the candidate must first demonstrate an ability to lead and a thorough understanding of the issues affecting the region. Sparkman said Nickerson not only demonstrated those qualities, but is also “extremely intelligent,” “energetic” and “a big supporter of COG’s mission.”

Nickerson also has served on COG’s Executive Committee over the last three years, sitting as its vice chairman over the last year, after first joining COG five years ago when he was appointed as the town’s first selectman in January 2015.

“For me personally, I tend to look for CEOs who are active and involved in matters at all levels with the council so that you have a well-rounded, knowledgeable person who is up to date on issues throughout the whole region,” Sparkman said. “It’s someone who has been involved on all the issues.”

The COG, a public agency, was formed in 1992 to provide intergovernmental cooperation dealing with a wide range of issues facing southeastern Connecticut and is tasked with establishing a plan of conservation and development for the region; assisting municipalities within the region, as well as state and other public and private agencies; and performing a variety of advisory review functions, according to its website, seccog.org.

In an interview Friday, Nickerson said he was humbled and honored to be selected to fill the role. He said he could not yet comment on the major tasks and issues that COG will tackle over the coming year and is waiting to meet with his new Executive Committee in coming weeks to discuss such goals. Over the last year, COG has worked on issues such as state funding, regional transportation and several regional studies, among many other issues, Nickerson and Sparkman said.

Besides being tasked with conducting COG's monthly meetings, Nickerson also will lead the Executive Committee in discussions in its executive sessions about the biggest issues affecting the region and will decide with that committee on agenda items to bring forward to the rest of the COG members to be discussed and decided on at the council's monthly meetings.

“This isn’t about me," Nickerson said. "What are my intentions? To carry on and listen. I’m just the chair and I run the meeting. But it really is a collaborative effort. COG does great work, and they are increasingly mandated to do even more work. ... It’s so important to have 22 members sitting at a table, and yes, they are meeting for two hours a month, but they are forming relationships. It doesn’t force us, but it allows us, to collaborate. A lot of good collaboration is coming from the COG.”

“It’s a great opportunity,” Nickerson said. “Having the bigger opportunity to serve the region is really just incredible. I got into town service and government 20 years ago, and I did it just to give back and to serve. To do this at this level is amazing.”

m.biekert@theday.com