Dennis Duffey, who is retiring as business manager of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 8 for the last 15 years, attended his final IBEW meeting last night at the union's hall in Rossford.

"I have a lot of mixed emotions," Mr. Duffey said before the meeting. "When you spend that much time with people, you get close to them. I definitely will miss that."

Mr. Duffey, 60, has been an IBEW member for 35 years and became its business manager in 1992. He was president and vice president of the Northwestern Ohio Building and Construction Trades Council among numerous other organizations.

He currently serves on the Toledo-Lucas County Port Authority board of directors, the Toledo Labor-Management-Citizens Committee, but it's his chairmanship of the Lucas County Democratic Party's central committee that tends to garner the most attention.

Mr. Duffey was interim Lucas County treasurer in 2005 before Wade Kapszukiewicz took office, and was rumored to be interested in the open county recorder's position. The party eventually endorsed Jeanine Perry for the position last month.

When asked about renewing his political interest, Mr. Duffey shied from possible future involvement. "I think I'm going to stay right where I'm at," he said. "I'll serve at the pleasure of the people. But if asked, I'll continue to serve as chairman of the central committee."

Mr. Duffey said he was proud of a number of accomplishments while business manager, including providing health benefits to surviving spouses of members, doubling the size of the training center, and increasing the union's membership 60 percent over the last 15 years.

He said he was pleased with strengthening the union's relationship with management, which has benefited the union and its roughly 140 employers who work with union members.

"I think we've come to the realization that we're a part of the business, and not an entity onto ourselves," he said. "Since we've come to that realization - and the national office has done the same thing - we consider ourselves to be partners with our different employer groups."

Mr. Duffey said he plans on volunteering for the Read for Literacy program. He said it's a program he's always been interested in, but never could become a tutor because of his hectic work schedule.

Jim Kozlowski, who replaces Mr. Duffey as business manager, said Mr. Duffey has left in indelible imprint on the local IBEW and leaves the organization stronger than it was before.

"Dennis brought a vision to the industry and wasn't afraid to try new things," Mr. Kozlowski said. "He firmly believes with our management counterparts, we need each other to survive and that feeling didn't always prevail in this industry."

First Published March 20, 2007, 9:58 a.m.