Farewell to a Fredonia leader, mentor

A couple of months after a makeshift commendation was held the night Don Dohrwardt resigned from the Fredonia Village Board, multiple accolades were presented in official form.

The village on Dec. 4 first offered its resolution for Dohrwardt’s 29 years on the board and various committees and for his “thoughtful leadership, vision and steadfast commitment to the well-being of the community.”

President Pro Tem Richard Abegglen could barely get through reading the document without becoming emotional.

“Don was the president when I was a rookie, so I’ve always come to look up to him as kind of a mentor,” he said.

“So for the last eight years, I’ve leaned on Don, I’ve learned from Don. I don’t do exactly what Don does because we don’t always agree, but he’s had a profound effect on me and my service. He’s part of the reason I’ve been doing this for eight years and will probably end up doing it another couple years just to try to fill those shoes that he’s leaving empty.”

The resolution highlighted Dohrwardt’s role in forming the partnership with the Town of Fredonia that led to the formation of the Fredonia Government Center, the hiring of the first village administrator and collaborating with three other municipalities to offer advanced life support paramedic-level service to northern Ozaukee County.

Dohrwardt, the resolution reads, “has been a careful custodian of taxpayer dollars, a voice of reason and stability and a source of invaluable institutional knowledge — qualities that have earned him the deep respect and gratitude of his colleagues and constituents alike.”

Dohrwardt, who is going through treatment for cancer, was humbled by the honor.

“Nothing satisfies the leader or someone like myself like the compliments coming from those colleagues that he served with for many, many years,” he said.

Trustee Jessica Franck read a citation from the Wisconsin Assembly signed by state Rep. Robert Brooks and Sen. Dan Feyen for Dohrwardt’s service to the village, including 12 years as president, and for 20 years as a member of the County Board. 

His legacy also includes those he inspired to serve. Franck said she remembers Dohrwardt knocking on her door several years ago looking for someone to serve on the Architectural Control Board.

“And we got to talking and here I am ... sitting on the (village) board,” she said.