{"id":527,"date":"2018-11-10T19:09:32","date_gmt":"2018-11-10T19:09:32","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/9thstreetjournal.org\/?p=527"},"modified":"2023-03-27T15:51:08","modified_gmt":"2023-03-27T15:51:08","slug":"robert-zoldos-journey-from-small-town-mayor-to-durham-fire-chief","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/9thstreetjournal.org\/2018\/11\/10\/robert-zoldos-journey-from-small-town-mayor-to-durham-fire-chief\/","title":{"rendered":"Robert Zoldos\u2019 journey from small-town mayor to Durham fire chief"},"content":{"rendered":"
Before he left Lovettsville, Va., incoming Durham Fire Chief Robert Zoldos had to reassure his townspeople that he wouldn\u2019t abandon his most important duty.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cI promised to come back every year to emcee the wiener dogs,\u201d Zoldos said.<\/span><\/p>\n The wiener dog races are the highlight of Lovettsville\u2019s annual Oktoberfest, when dachshunds dash down a lane of grass while the town of 2,300 cheers them on. Zoldos stands between the crowd and the race track, dressed in a traditional Lederhosen costume and a German alpine hat. His strong voice booms through a microphone,<\/span> imploring the crowd<\/span><\/a> to root for Lucy, Red and other dogs as they waddle across the finish line.<\/span><\/p>\n This is just one municipal duty for a small-town mayor like Zoldos, a stocky, muscular firefighter who stepped down from his government post this summer after three terms and six years as the face of his hometown.<\/span><\/p>\n One of his final acts as mayor was to temporarily rename the town Capitalsville when the NHL\u2019s Washington Capitals were in the Stanley Cup Finals against the Vegas Golden Knights. His proudest accomplishment? Getting sidewalks built in downtown Lovettsville after \u201chemming and hawing over that for decades.\u201d That\u2019s harder than you think when the roads were built for horses in the 19th century.<\/span><\/p>\n