NCLM Volume 71, Issue 1, 2021

23 NCLM.ORG For Mayor Bill Dusch, there is Concord and there is everywhere else, and he’s seen almost all of both. There are a few different perspectives. There’s his work, based at home but span- ning many states and countries, eventually leading him into civic leadership. There’s the long-distance running—106 marathons, tens of thousands of miles, in every state of the country, nearly every continent, and, most notably, every patch of pavement in Concord. Each morning, four to seven miles, for more than 40 years. There’s no nook or side street he hasn’t seen person- ally, at the break of the day, running to clear the thoughts that gather in the mind of a mayor overseeing a town in the midst of precipitous growth. There’s the flying. Dusch is a licensed pilot, and has been for decades. He’s logged thousands of hours. He’s traversed the country. It is how he and his wife, Debbie, get around east of the Mississippi, and it’s how they met too—at flight training. And then of course, there’s the role as mayor. Elected leaders tout their experience as an asset and source of perspective, and Dusch lays claim to that too, with his career spent working both internationally and at home. Few, though, have actually seen it all from 30,000 feet. From that point of view and, seen over time, it’s clear that Concord is positioned well. Located close to Char- lotte and standing as the next biggest city in the region, Concord has seen more than a slight increase in population. Mayor Dusch knows that it is his role to manage that growth. It is not his role alone. And through that approach, the key prior- ities are not only ones of leadership, but also ones of connecting. It comes easy to him, as does the positive outlook. It’s his hometown, and he’s overseeing it develop into a better place. ˘˘˘ Concord has always been the home of Mayor Dusch, apart from his collegiate tenure at UNC-Chapel Hill and brief stint in Cary. He studied chemistry and zool- ogy, then launched a career working for a multinational chemical company focused in the coatings industry. That job took him many places, but he lived in Concord throughout those decades. He remembers entertaining the idea of moving away from home early in his career, but let that idea fade. “Everything just kept working out,” Dusch said. The Concord Traveler He also remembers having a civic interest early on. It was a political family. His father, Frank A. Dusch Jr., was a city councilman as Bill was growing up, and his grandfather, Frank A. Dusch, served 16 years as the mayor of Virginia Beach in the 1950s and 1960s. As he settled into his career, the ambition of running for office laid dormant, though never fully subsided. It was revived gradually through his proximity to munic- ipal operations. After more than 20 years with the chemical company, Dusch started his own IT business, which quickly, if not reluctantly, acquired several city clients. “My business partner and I, the first thing we said was that we would not be working any government agencies,” Dusch said. “And within the first month, we were work- ing with cities … The cities needed help.” This was in the late 1990s, and the IT infra- structure of municipalities was relatively undeveloped. Dusch helped all the many municipal offices grow into the technology. “We had to work with every department. Utility billing, electric, water, sewer, police, fire, parks and rec—we were exposed to every aspect of it.” During those years, Dusch also attended every city council meeting, sitting in the audience, fully acclimating to the nuances of municipal operations. In 2017, longtime Concord Mayor Scott Padgett retired. Five people ran to fill his seat, including Dusch, who by this point had been long embedded in City Hall. Not only had his IT company been working with Concord for approximately two decades, but Dusch himself had become involved in the citizen-led city boards. Planning and Zoning, Adjustment, Historic Preservation—Dusch served on them all. "I was involved with the city for so many years, saw how fast we were growing. I really enjoyed being a part of that," Dusch said. He ultimately ran away with the may- oral race, carrying 40 percent of the vote. He took over at a critical time for Con- cord. Historically, like many towns around North Carolina, a select few industries long provided the economic base in Concord. “We were a textile community,” Dusch said. Pillowtex in nearby Kannapo- lis stood as the most prominent of those businesses, and in town, there was Phillip Morris, the cigarette manufacturer. As the century turned, so did economic forces, and both business faltered. Pillowtex filed for bankruptcy in 2003, putting 4,800 North Carolinians out of work, and the M y business partner and I, the first thing we said was that we would not be working any government agencies. And within the first month, we were working with cities … The cities needed help.” continues on page 24 NCLM Board Member and Concord Mayor Bill Dusch leads through many pursuits. Photo credits: City of Concord. “