DEL MAR — The city’s longest-serving elected official is retiring from local government and bidding goodbye to Del Mar after 20 years of service.
Mayor Dave Druker, 74, participated in his last Del Mar City Council meeting on Monday as he and his wife Kristen, a local volunteer and retired history teacher, prepare to move this month to Bellevue, Washington, to live closer to their children and grandchildren.
Druker was honored with appreciative comments from the community and proclamations from the City Council, Rep. Mike Levin, Assemblymember Tasha Boerner, state Sen. Catherine Blakespear, and county Supervisor Terra Lawsom-Remer.
“I really want to thank the residents of Del Mar. You’ve given me an incredible experience over the past 20 years and seven months,” Druker said. “It has just been an honor to serve you and get to know you.”
That same night, council members Tracey Martinez and Dan Quirk were sworn into second terms, and newcomer John Spelich was sworn in for his first term. The new four-person council will operate with one vacancy left by former Councilmember Dwight Worden until the 2026 election.
The council unanimously appointed Terry Gaasterland as the city’s new mayor and Martinez as deputy mayor. Unlike other cities where mayors are elected, Del Mar’s two highest vote-getting council members from the past election serve as mayor yearly.
‘Positive impact’
Druker has served five four-year terms on the council, including five rotations as mayor. He was first elected in 1996 and served until 2008, then took a hiatus before being re-elected again in 2016 and serving until 2024.
Community members and fellow council members applauded his wisdom, community engagement, respectful demeanor and practical approach to governance during his tenure. Martinez thanked Druker for his “integrity, honesty and selflessness,” and for taking his role seriously. She also credited Druker and his wife for convincing her to run for office in 2020.
“I thank you for the positive impact and legacy you have left behind in Del Mar,” Martinez said.
Similarly, Boerner thanked Druker for sharing his wisdom with her over her eight years in office and all his work over the past 20 years.
“That’s so much that you’ve given to not only Del Mar but our entire region,” Boerner said.
Community members said they would miss seeing Druker walking on the beach with his corgis, tabling at the farmer’s market, and leading the charge at the annual New Year’s Day Penguin Plunge.
Others noted his service on countless boards and commissions, civic engagement including advocacy regarding city measures, and instrumental role in several initiatives — creating the Clean Energy Alliance, pushing for the relocation of the train tracks off the Del Mar bluffs, protecting the Community Plan, and pushing the city toward a “Guiding Principles” approach to complex issues.
“I want to really just thank you, Dave. What you’ve given to Del Mar is above and beyond. I don’t know that anyone has served the city more than you have, in terms of the length of years and the depth of service in those years,” said resident Claire McGreal.
The Drukers moved to Del Mar 38 years ago (their home on 10th Street sold for upwards of $4 million earlier this year). Outside of city government, Druker has spent his career working in data, including 26 years as Vice President at DataSkill.
With Druker’s departure and the September retirement of Worden, who served 10 years on the City Council and as city attorney years earlier, the council is saying goodbye to two sources of deep institutional knowledge.
Druker encouraged the City Council to continue prioritizing reason and relying on guiding principles to navigate complex topics, noting that “saber-rattling” doesn’t get anyone anywhere.
“Del Mar is a unique and fragile place. The internal issues are more threatening than any other, therefore we must continue to honor the Community Plan,” he said.
