Donald C. Rider
The Hall of Fame for City and Town Officials each year may induct one person posthumously. For 2003, that person never held public office in Oklahoma. However, most of the laws or services municipal officials work with today, as well as the breadth of appreciation among state agencies for municipal government, is due in large measure to one individual. That person was Donald C. Rider, Executive Director of the Oklahoma Municipal League from 1972 until 1988.
When Don Rider arrived in Oklahoma he was challenged by the league board to strengthen the organization so it could more effectively serve the interests of municipal government. He brought with him experience from three other states, including having been the league director in New Mexico the past 12 years. During the next 16 years, prior to his sudden death at age 59, OML and cities and towns achieved more progress than perhaps at any time in the history of the state. Much of this progress was achieved by Don's innovative use of grant programs designed to prepare municipal officials for the "New Federalism" of the 1970's. His legacy is memorialized by the dedication of the Don Rider Board Room at the OML Headquarters built during his tenure.
A native of Hanover, Pennsylvania, Rider began his more than a 36-year municipal career on the staff of the Michigan Municipal League in 1952. His service also included the Colorado Municipal League and being City Manager of Rangely, Colorado, before becoming the Executive Director of the New Mexico League. He also served two terms on the Board of Directors of the National League of Cities and was active in forming the NLC State League Planning Group.
During his tenure as OML Executive, the staff grew from two full-time and two part-time to twelve full-time and one part-time employee. Membership grew from under 300 to 385 cities and towns. In addition, organizations such as the Oklahoma Conference of Mayors, the Oklahoma Municipal Assurance Group, the Municipal Service Corporation, a staffed Municipal Electric Systems of Oklahoma, and the Oklahoma Municipal Power Authority all came into existence. Under his stewardship numerous pieces of legislation advantageous to municipalities and their citizens were passed - and many deemed harmful were defeated. Certainly, the most significant legislative achievement during his term was the 1977 Oklahoma Municipal Code, a complete modernization and recodification of statutes related to cities and towns.
Besides his masterful orchestration of legislation, Rider also implemented initiatives to provide new resources and additional skills to empower local officials. These include the Labor Relations Service Program, municipal research services, a municipal credit union, a legal services program, a municipal risk and employee benefits pool, and a full complement of training programs for municipal officials.