Longtime administrator announces retirement

By SCOTT BAUGHMANLedger Staff Writer

“It takes a thick skin, a caring heart, patience and a lot of common sense to do this job well.”

Since July of 1973 Trudy Martin has been a fixture at Blacksburg Town Hall.

But, Tuesday night saw the end of an era for the Iron City when she announced her retirement.

“I actually started out collecting water bills,” the outgoing town administrator said Thursday. “Then in 1974, I became town clerk and 1989 was when I started as town administrator. It’s been a while, but I think the person I took over for was Reed Love.”

A Blacksburg native, Martin has no plans to move away.

“I just never had any desire to go work somewhere else. This job is never boring and I do love dealing with the public. And my family is still around here. My children are grown but they live nearby still.”

An impending grandchild was one of the things that Martin said helped make her decision to retire somewhat easier.

“I want to go be a grandmother,” she said.

In many ways, the Blacksburg that Martin leaves behind is a different place than the one she joined in 1973.

“The improvements in the equipment and having additional personnel are probably the biggest changes I can see looking back on it,” she said. “They can do a better job of running the town because of those two things, and they are the reasons we’ve seen Blacksburg grow and change for the better. So, to me that means we’ve had wise councils to see the need for the investment in infrastructure.”

Martin’s love for interacting with the public has been tested.

“I’ve had some strange requests to handle over the years,” she said. “I remember one time, probably about seven years ago, when this lady called to complain about leaves being left on her lawn and not picked up by the yard trash crew. Apparently, she was having some big ladies meeting or luncheon on her lawn that day, and she was so upset. I talked to her numerous times and assured her that I personally would make sure something was done. I finally asked her if they had been bagged already, and when she said yes I drove my own car over to her house and disposed of them.”

But it wasn’t always an easy road.

“The hardest part was making sure that all the problems got the attention they deserved,” Martin explained. “It might seem like no big deal to you, but to the person who has that problem, it is the most important one.”

As the town council prepares to fill the position, Martin offered her own list of job requirements.

“It takes a thick skin, a caring heart, patience and a lot of common sense to do this job well,” she said. “But I think what I’ll miss most is the interaction with the public. I’ve made a lot of wonderful, lifelong friends at this job from Gaffney, Cherokee County and all over the state. I will miss them, but I’m proud of what I’ve been able to accomplish for the city I love.”