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HARTINGTON – For the first time in nearly 40 years, Cedar County will have a new clerk.
County Clerk Dave Dowling has decided to retire from his longtime position as 2024 begins and presented his letter of resignation to the board of commissioners on Dec. 26.
“This is to inform you that after 37 years of service to Cedar County and lengthy deliberation, I have decided to resign my position of Cedar County Clerk, Register of Deeds and Election Commissioner,” he wrote. “I have enjoyed working with all the officials and staff members through the years, including the different county boards.”
In his letter, Dowling asked the commissioners to accept his resignation, effective at 11:59 p.m. Jan. 9.
Board Chairman Dave McGregor made a motion to approve Dowling’s resignation, which was seconded by Commissioner Craig Bartels. McGregor, Bartels and Commissioner Dick Donner voted in favor of the motion, which passed.
McGregor, who is entering his 18th year as a county commissioner, noted in a follow-up interview that during his time on the board, Dowling has always been helpful and supportive in his role as the county clerk.
As the county clerk, Dowling has been the secretary to the county board of commissioners and the bookkeeper of the county. He also has been the register of deeds and the election commissioner for the county.
“Dave has been an excellent clerk,” McGregor said, adding Dowling has been “just a great person to work with.”
McGregor recalled he has known Dowling, a Randolph native, since the mid-1970s, when Dowling moved to Hartington and started working for Fred Orwig Ford.
In addition, McGregor also knew Ed Stevens, the county clerk who preceded Dowling and served in the position for 40 years before Dowling officially took over the office on Jan. 7, 1987.
McGregor described Dowling and Stevens as the “same type of people” as far as their role as the county clerk was concerned, adding they both excelled at the job.
“In my lifetime, I only knew of two clerks in Cedar County,” McGregor said. “Seventy-seven years of two people being the clerk – you had to think that they were doing an excellent job.”
McGregor now will see a third person take over the county clerk position in his lifetime, as the commissioners will appoint someone to fill the vacancy created by Dowling’s resignation.
Dowling has recommended one of his staff members be appointed. The plan is for Jessica Schmit, who was hired in August to work for Dowling’s office, to be appointed as his replacement in the county clerk position and finish his current term, which runs through December 2026.
That appointment has been scheduled for the commissioners’ Jan. 9 reorganizational meeting.
A celebration in Dowling’s honor has been set for 2-4:30 p.m. Jan. 5 inside the district courtroom on the second floor of the county courthouse.
“I wish him luck in his retirement,” McGregor said. “I’m happy for him.”
