Olmos Park Mayor Gerald Z. Dubinski Sr. wraps up a political career lasting more than two decades. Photo by Mary Candee

In an age with constituents generally rallying for political term limits, Olmos Park Mayor Gerald Z. Dubinski Sr. is truly an anomaly.

But this year – after a mayoral stint surpassing two decades – he plans to step down. And on his own terms.

“The reason is twofold,” he said. “One is that I’ve been there for 22 years, and that’s a long time. And two … I’m 79 years old!”

The indefatigable mayor said he plans to help one of his two sons run his business after stepping down. He said his health is good, but he decided the time was right to retire from local politics.

“I’m working with my son,” Dubinski said. “He has a laundry and dry cleaning equipment business, and I’m enjoying it immensely – it’s like a second career. I never considered holding public office a career, but it ended up being one, even though it was part time.”

Reminiscing about his service to the city, he pointed to various accomplishments, some tangible like the McCullough Avenue roundabout installed about 10 years ago, and others less so, like the property values in Olmos Park being higher than those in Alamo Heights and Terrell Hills.

He said he views such bolstered property values as a barometer of a city’s economic health. An Olmos Park resident since 1948, he’s seen the rise in those values firsthand.

“I’ll never forget when I first got married, there was an empty lot right behind us and my wife wanted to buy the lot, which cost $7,000,” he recalled of their plans in 1956. “The problem was we didn’t have $7,000. That lot is probably on the tax rolls now for $300,000.”

As mayor, he pointed to another piece of real estate – the McCullough roundabout – as one of his more visible accomplishments: “The thing I feel the best about is we were able to build that roundabout. When we started out in the process, only two people were in favor of it – the engineer who designed it and me.”

At the time, he said people predicted dire consequences if it were built – “the cry was ‘it’s gonna get a lot of people killed because it’ll cause accidents,’” he recalled. Dubinski helped assuage mass hysteria over an envisioned circle of death, educated a skeptical public and then led efforts to purchase street rights-of-way to make the roundabout a reality.

To date, no major accidents have been reported at the site. Instead, the device continues to effectively slow down traffic along the main artery, forcing commuters to slowly lope around the circle’s circumference to get to the opposite side of their route.

He counts a new City Hall complex now in the planning stages – at the existing site at 119 W. El Prado and across the street – as another bricks-and-mortar accomplishment he helped usher in.

“We’ve been working 12 years on trying to get a new facility,” the mayor said. “It’s really going to be great to have a City Hall on one side and fire and police department on the other.”

Dubinski noted much of the city’s progress during his tenure is less tangible than construction, most notably a city budget that’s grown to $2.52 million, up from just under $1 million when he first took office. He also helped grow fire and police ranks, although his tone became somber in recalling the impetus for growth of the latter. Some 15 years ago, a woman walking along Contour Drive with her baby in a carriage was fatally stabbed.

“We decided that regardless of the cost we would have two policemen patrolling all the time,” he said. “Fortunately, we have the lowest crime rate in Bexar County. If that’s what did it, I don’t know, but it’s worked out that way.”

A major road infrastructure project he pushed for is all but wrapped up. Boats and RVs once allowed to be parked along the curb or – gasp! – on front lawns, are now out of sight thanks to an ordinance he helped write. And much progress is being made on revitalizing the city’s central business district, thanks largely to his leadership.

“I’ll miss it,” Dubinski said, wishing he had kept a diary of his long tenure. “I’ve enjoyed it. The secret is the people working for you. We’ve always had a good city manager, a good police and fire chief. That’s all it takes. If you have the right people there and let them to do their work, you’ll be okay.”