LeDuc retiring after 25 years with City

After giving almost 25 years of service to Aiken, City Manager Roger LeDuc will retire.

LeDuc gave City Council his retirement letter during an executive session Monday evening. His last day as city manager will be Jan. 28.

LeDuc said he spent a lot of time thinking and praying upon his decision before finalizing it, but he believes the timing of his retirement is ideal.

"I feel it (the city) will be left in great hands with a tremendous staff, City Council and the many citizens who have volunteered and have continued to support our city," LeDuc said.

Mayor Fred Cavanaugh said Council members and he will miss LeDuc greatly. The mayor and city manager have known each other for more than two decades, as LeDuc came to Aiken about the time Cavanaugh joined City Council in the 1980s.

"Roger has done a wonderful job for the City of Aiken, starting when he first came 25 years ago," Cavanaugh said. "Roger has been a wonderful asset to this city. ... I appreciate him so much."

Cavanaugh said he remembers when he and City Council were trying to find a replacement for former City Manager Steve Thompson in 1998, and how LeDuc stood out among many people who were in consideration for the job. Along with LeDuc's strong leadership as the Public Works director, Cavanaugh noticed his positive attitude and good relationship with the public.

Assistant City Manager Richard Pearce has worked closely with LeDuc for more than 12 years and said it has been a privilege.

"It is kind of a bittersweet time - he has done so much for the City of Aiken," Pearce said. "You know, it is just a time of transition."

Pearce did not say if he was considering applying for the city manager position.

Aiken County Administrator Clay Killian has known LeDuc a little more than nine years and said they both have worked hard on the professional relationship between the City and County.

Killian said that LeDuc has helped keep the lines of communication open and, though they sometime didn't agree on all issues, they always found a way to work through them.

"I think we've worked very well together - it has been a very positive relationship,"Killian said. "He will be a hard person to replace."

LeDuc said working for the City of Aiken has been a highlight of his career. LeDuc came to Aiken with bachelor's and master's degrees from the University of Illinois.

He started off as the Public Works director in 1986, and in November 1998, he was hired as city manager, replacing Thompson, who stepped down after he accepted a job as Greenville's city manager.

LeDuc said in his nearly 25 years working with the city, he has seen it double in size and steadily progress. He believes the city will continue that progression after his leaving.

LeDuc said he is not exactly sure what he will do after retirement, but a little bit of traveling and more time with his family is definitely on his to-do list.

He said that he will also make himself available if he is needed to assist in the new city manager's transition.

Cavanaugh said City Council will go into executive session after its regular meeting Sept. 27 to begin the process of finding a replacement. He said it may take several sessions before City Council names a new city manager, and Council hopefully will make a decision before or by January.

"We will move as rapidly as possible," Cavanaugh said.

Contact Amy Banton at abanton@aikenstandard.com.

Breakout:

Roger LeDuc is the fifth Aiken city manager since a Council-Manager charter was established July 18, 1955

* R. Powell Black (1955-1958) was the city manager of Athens, Tenn., before becoming the first Aiken city manager. He left to be city manager of Dothan, Ala.

* I. Harding Hughes (1958-1963) was budget director of City of Winston-Salem, N.C., before being Aiken city manager. He left to be city manager of Durham, N.C.

* Roland Windham (1963-1991) was the assistant city manager and finance director in Rock Hill before he was Aiken city manager. He retired.

* Steve Thompson (1991-1998) moved up from assistant city manager to become Aiken city manager and left to take a position of city manager in Greenville.

* Roger LeDuc (1998-2011) moved up from Public Works director and is leaving for retirement.

Breakout 2:

Roger LeDuc's top 10 things Aiken accomplished during his 12 years as city manager

* Wellness Program for City employees

* Elimination of all of the City's bonded indebtedness

* Downtown improvements, including the theater and festival center

* A traffic management ordinance was developed

* Millage rate was lowered from 79 to 66 percent

* Two industrial parks were built, which created around 700 to 800 jobs

* Senior tax write-off program

* New storm water program, which was the first in the state

* 400 new housing units and 13 neighborhood organizations developed on the Northside

* Completion of Citizens Park and Tennis Center