Austin Gessel has agreed to fill the vacant seat on the Kanawha County Commission, county representatives said Friday. The announcement comes after Gessel initially said he would not accept the appointment.

Gessel will fill the position that Lance Wheeler previously held. Wheeler resigned in June to become the executive director of the Kanawha County Emergency Ambulance Authority and is a candidate for West Virginia Senate District 8 in the November general election.

In a social media post, Gessel said he "did not seek out this opportunity" but maintained he would "accept the responsibility."

"It will be an honor to serve Kanawha County over the next four months, and I will do everything I can to make our county an even better place to work, live, and raise a family," he wrote.

Gessel is expected to be sworn in as a county commissioner at the commission's next meeting on Sept. 17, 2026. He will serve the remainder of 2026, with the person elected to the seat in the November general election taking office for the full term beginning in 2027.

The appointment follows an unusual sequence of events surrounding the vacancy.

Before Thursday's commission meeting, Gessel and another nominee, Edward Burgess, sent letters to commissioners stating they would not serve if appointed.

A third individual, Jared Page, was also being considered for the position.

Despite the letters, Commission President Ben Salango and Commissioner Natalie Tennant proceeded with the selection process during Thursday's regularly scheduled meeting.

As part of the selection process, each commissioner was allowed to "strike," or eliminate, one of the three Republican candidates. The candidates were hand-picked by the Kanawha County Republican Executive Committee after Salango and Tennant failed to agree on a candidate during a commission meeting in July.

As the longer-serving commissioner, Salango chose first, opting to strike Burgess. Tennant went next, striking Page. That left Gessel as the appointee, despite his letter stating he would not serve.

Sometime after the meeting, officials said Friday, Gessel notified the commission that he had changed his mind and would accept the position.

“I’m excited to welcome Austin Gessel as the newest member of the Kanawha County Commission,” Salango said in a statement. “I truly appreciate his willingness to serve the public, and I look forward to working with him over the next few months.”

Tennant said she personally contacted Gessel to discuss the expectations of the position.

“I personally reached out Mr. Gessel, and talked about the expectations of this office and conveyed to him that I look forward to working with him to uphold the standards of the Kanawha County Commission in serving the public,” Tennant said.

Gessel currently serves as the Grassroots Engagement Director for Southern West Virginia for Americans for Prosperity West Virginia.