Retiring Roanoke Rapids Code Administrator Brian Duhadaway received a heartfelt tribute from Planning Director Kristyn Anderson during Tuesday night’s city council meeting.

“When you work somewhere for 23 years, you leave your fingerprints on a lot of things,” Anderson said of the man she considers one of her mentors in city government. “You can quite literally drive around this community and see the impact of his work. There are homes, businesses, renovations, developments, and major projects throughout Roanoke Rapids Brian has had a hand in.”

Through thousands of inspections, conversations with contractors and property owners, and jobsite visits, she said, “He has helped shape the built environment of our community.”

The importance of his work, she said, went far beyond permits and inspections. “Most people will never know about the problems Brian caught before they became a dangerous situation. They won’t know about the corrections required that may have prevented a fire, a structural failure or injury.”

There were many times he had to say “no,” even “when that answer wasn’t always something someone wanted to hear. That is public service and that is public safety,” she said.

Anderson said for 23 years Duhadaway has helped make sure that when people walk into a building, open a business, buy a home, or begin a construction project, someone was looking out for their safety. “That’s a tremendous responsibility and it leaves a legacy that is difficult to measure.”

Duhadaway raised her in city government, she said. “When I was learning this profession 13 years ago, Brian was one of the people I could turn to. He taught me things you simply cannot learn from an ordinance book, a statute, a class, or a certification. He taught me to ask questions, to look a little closer, to think through a problem and, if necessary, to stand my ground.”

She said he helped her understand that the responsibility isn’t simply to enforce a code. “It is to understand why that code exists and what we are ultimately trying to protect. I have never stopped learning from him.”

Choking back tears, Anderson told her mentor, “I don’t think you ever completely realize how much someone has influenced your professional development until you reach a moment like this. There are pieces of the professional that I have become today that came from directly working beside Brian.”

It was his experience, their conversations, disagreements, and the problems they solved together that helped shape her, she said. “When I say you helped raise me, I mean it with tremendous affection and respect. And while today marks your retirement from the city, the knowledge you’ve shared doesn’t retire with you. It stays with the inspectors that you’ve worked alongside. It stays with the contractors you’ve taught along the way, the buildings and projects you helped make safer. It stays within our department and it stays with me.”

Anderson said 23 years is an incredible commitment to one community. “Thank you for your service, for protecting this community, and for sharing 23 years of knowledge and experience with us.”

City Manager Kelly Traynham said she first met Duhadaway when she began coming to Roanoke Rapids as a contract worker soon after the 2011 tornado.

That private-sector contracting work would eventually lead Traynham to apply for the open planning director position. “Brian looked at me one day and said, ‘Are you going to apply for this job?’”

Both started their careers on September 15, albeit in different years. For 10 years she worked with Duhadaway in the planning department, and five more after she became city manager. “Brian’s one of the most selfless people I have ever met and had an opportunity to work with or be around. After every emergency, after everything, he says, ‘Just call me. I’ll be there.’ And he will.”

Mayor Emery Doughtie told Duhadaway, “I appreciate the way you dealt with a very, very sensitive job. People probably got mad at you sometimes, but I never heard anybody say you lost your cool. I appreciate the 23 years of service that you gave us and the city.”

While Duhadaway did not speak at the podium, he said outside Lloyd Andrews City Meeting Hall, “It was kind of overwhelming for me because I’m not a public person. I’m just kind of a quiet and shy person.”

One of the things he’ll be doing in retirement is working on his man cave. “I’ve got all my wiring and stuff roughed in. I’ve got to do some finishing stuff and have some other projects at home.”

For Duhadaway, public service has been a way of life. “I was a fireman in Weldon and then I became an inspector in Weldon. Then I transferred over here.”

He said public service has been fulfilling for him. “My stepfather was a building contractor and I had a hammer put in my hand when I was 9 years old. I’ve been doing that ever since. He instilled in me to work hard, be honest, and give back. Public safety has always been a big thing for me. I’ve always wanted to make sure and have a part in making sure people were safe when they went shopping or when they went to sleep at night. I hope I left a small part of that here and made the city safer.”