20020125 A Tribute to Westminster City Clerk John D. Dudderar

A Tribute to Westminster City Clerk John D. Dudderar

The Cal Ripken of the City of Westminster

January 25, 2002

Mayor Kevin Dayhoff

1,447 words - 8 minutes

City Clerk John Dudderar is a Westminster institution. A quiet intense man of few words and deep thought. His quiet, helpful demeanor and immeasurable institutional knowledge will be missed. Mr. Dudderar has served our community with extraordinary distinction and honor. I've always been impressed with his sense of fairness and penchant for the appropriate. In many ways, he has defined who we are as a community in the later 20th century.

His journey of service to Westminster began 37 years ago, but before we go back 37 years, let's pick up the story just a few months ago.

November 28, 2001 was a fairly uneventful day in City Hall. For some time I had been asking Mr. Dudderar to provide the historians with his famous handwritten minutes and agendas. I thought the envelope on my desk contained John's notes from the previous meeting.

Instead, it was a handwritten note from John. "Dear Mayor Dayhoff, I intend to retire from the City of Westminster on February 1, 2002. It has certainly been a pleasure working for the City for the past thirty-seven years. Sincerely, John D. Dudderar."

For Mr. Dudderar, a man of few words, this was a novel.

This was history in the making. We had all assumed that Mr. Dudderar would be around forever. We never gave it much thought that he would actually retire. I told him that we were going to pass an ordinance that he couldn't retire. He responded by proclaiming - "I don't think so. Who do you think would record it?"

In 1964 Mr. Dudderar worked for the Maryland Water Company. This was the private company that owned and operated the City water system. When the Mayor and Council purchased the Water Company for $962,000.00, Mr. John Dudderar was the dividend package that came along with the deal. For the City of Westminster, the asset purchased was great enough, but the residual consisting of water meter reader John Dudderar has given an even greater return.

In 1969, Mr. Dudderar was promoted to Assistant City Clerk/Zoning Administrator. In 1972 he was promoted to his current job, a job he has held for the past 30 years.

In the year Mr. Dudderar came to work for the City of Westminster; 1964 - it was the 200^th anniversary of the City of Westminster. The year was marked by many festivities. Little did the celebrants of the day know - that the real celebration was John Dudderar coming to work for the City of Westminster.

The population of Westminster back then was 6,123 folks. The City Police force consisted of a Chief and 6 officers, who were referred to as bailiffs at the time. The City Council served 2 year staggered terms. There was an election every year and the Council met once a month in a smoke filled room.

A home in the City of Westminster cost anywhere from 7,000 to 13,000 dollars. The brand new luxury air-conditioned Westminster Apartments on Poole Road were renting for $89.50 a month. The Carroll County Times was published once a week, every Thursday, and cost $0.05 at the newsstand.

The starting salary for a Carroll County teacher was $4,800 per year. Johnny Unitas and the Baltimore Colts held their summer football practice at Western Maryland College. Carroll County General Hospital had just opened in the spring of 1961.

In 1964 the County was negotiating to bring a Random House distribution center just outside of Westminster. The big issue for Random House was tapping in to Westminster's City Water Supply.

One of the big topics of discussion of the day was the State proposed East-West Expressway, which would help move traffic around Route 140 and Westminster. The main political discussion of the day was whether or not Carroll County should adopt Charter Government. Shortly before the City of Westminster purchased the Maryland Water Works, the Carroll County Times featured an article on the front page about citizens complaining about high water bills. The more things change, the more they stay the same.

In 1964, Lyndon Baines Johnson was the President of the United States - having succeeded President Kennedy who had just been assassinated on November 22, 1963. We had 25,000 troops in Vietnam. The Beatles appeared on the Ed Sullivan Show and the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King won the Nobel Peace Prize.

Yes - 1964 was a while ago. Many of the traffic lights still only had a red and green light, with no yellow caution light. There were no computers in the entire city. There is STILL no computer in John Dudderar's office. Stamps cost $0.05. We did have automobiles and electricity -but we didn't have faxes, photocopiers, cell phones, or the Internet.

In the 37 years Mr. Dudderar has worked for the City of Westminster, he has kept 5 different Mayors in line, as well as many many Council members and City Staff members.

Around the time Mr. Dudderar joined the City, calls for police services were received at the Westminster Fire Department over on Main Street. A dispatcher would then activate a yellow flashing barn light with a green cover suspended over Main Street in front of the Fire Hall where a patrolling officer would see it and then stop in the Fire Department for the information concerning the need for police assistance. In 1976 the Police Department "expanded" to three rooms in City Hall. Police during this period were also using the basement storage room in City Hall for detaining prisoners.

In the past 37 years, the City Council meeting has moved from the first floor, upstairs to the second floor and then downstairs again to the renovated meeting room on the main floor of City Hall. Mr. Dudderar's office has made a similar transition, from the first floor (where Stan Ruchlewicz's office is now) to the second and then back down to the first. He was here for the big City Hall renovations and Rededication in 1994.

On Saturday, October 3, 1970 Mr. Dudderar and his family were part of the auspicious group, including the Maryland Governor, who met with the Lord Mayor and Mayoress of Westminster England, Mr. and Mrs. Brian Fitzgerald-Moore. Mr. Dudderar's daughter, Angie, presented a bouquet of flowers to the Mayoress.

Other changes Mr. Dudderar has witnessed over the years include the replacement of the original 1932 Green Street Bridge; straightening out John and Bond Streets and straightening out Liberty Street and Railroad Avenue.

There were many improvements to the water and sewer system that occurred during Mr. Dudderar's watch. In 1964/65 the City of Westminster sold approximately $1.45 million dollars worth of bonds to pay for the water system and immediate improvements and expansions. Some of these bonds were only retired recently, in 1994. Another significant improvement was acquiring the right of ways and relocating the sewer plant from back off Goodwin Quarry Road to Avondale.

In 1964 there were 477 acres incorporated into the City of Westminster. Beginning with Annexation #1, effective September 9, 1967 and 35 more annexations later, the City incorporates 3,589 acres or 5.6 square miles. John Dudderar has overseen every annexation in the City of Westminster's modern history.

The important factor in these many years since 1964 is the immeasurable contribution Mr. Dudderar has made to the City of Westminster. John Dudderar has been the Iron Man, the ever-reliable ship's mate at the helm of the City Council meetings, reliably generating the agenda and the minutes twice a month.

He can always be counted on to accurately measure the mood of the voters on any particular issue and always serves as wise counsel for the elected officials. He knows the history of the code and ordinances, and essentially keeps all of us in line and on the right page as we all try to do our best for the citizens of Westminster.

Mr. Dudderar has always performed his tasks in a quiet unassuming manner, eschewing public attention and always putting the best interests of the City of Westminster first. As with Former Mayor Yowan - public attention for the performance of his duties was not much different from having a root canal.

John Dudderar has been a source of knowledge and strength for all of us, and will be greatly missed in City Hall. We weren't sad when the wooden pipes that came with the Water Department were replaced, but we are all going to miss John Dudderar. We all know he deserves a long and happy retirement.

God Bless you Mr. Dudderar.