Waldoboro Finance Director Eileen Dondlinger has been honored on the dedication page of this year’s annual report. Calling her a team player, Board of Selectmen Chairman Steve Cartwright said Dondlinger’s contribution to the smooth running of the office was such that many citizens are unaware of the many tasks she accomplishes.
“I do my job and help where I can,” Dondlinger said after receiving a copy of the 2011 Annual Report.
“I want to thank Eileen for all the help [she] gave me,” Town Manager John Spear said. “She’s probably the most dedicated employee I’ve ever seen.”
“We have a lot of dedicated employees,” Dondlinger said.
In 2008, and again in 2011, she served in the role of town manager, “declining extra pay or bonuses for that additional and difficult work,” according to the written dedication that appears on page 1 of the report. Cartwright wrote in the dedication that Dondlinger does her work out of a “sense of what is right, and what is good for the whole community.”
“She has a good sense of humor and that helps her deal with her job, and life, when it’s tough,” he wrote. “She’s the kind of person that makes you proud of our town.”
Joining town office staff, at the surprise dedication ceremony, were Dondlinger’s husband Ken and daughters Rebecca and Jennifer. Her sons Andrew and Bennett wanted to be there but needed to be at work, Rebecca Dondlinger said.
“I was wondering why nobody was chatting about who the book was dedicated to this year,” Eileen Dondlinger said. In past years she has been among those keeping the dedication a secret.