Kevin Dayhoff has been an administrative member of the Westminster Fire Engine and Hose Co. No. 1 since 2001.  He has served as the department chaplain since January 5, 2011.  He is also a current member of the Maryland Troopers Association Lodge #20.

Dayhoff has been a freelance writer and artist since 1971.  In addition to Westminster Patch, he currently writes about Carroll County community interests, public works, history, agriculture, politics, local fire departments, and economics for several newspapers and publications.

He served as the mayor of Westminster from 2001 to 2005 and as a Westminster city councilman from 1999 to 2001.

He was a self-employed nursery stock farmer, landscape designer, property management consultant, and freelance technical writer from 1974 to 1999.  He served as a statewide elected member of the Maryland Municipal League Board of Directors 2000 to 2005.

He has attended classes at Elon and McDaniel College, without receiving a degree.

From the late 1960s, into the early 1970s, Dayhoff worked various jobs in landscaping, including Carroll Gardens and Tom Senseney Landscaping, carpentry, and bridge construction.

Dayhoff is currently a member of the Society of Professional Journalists, and Capitol Beat – an Association of Capitol Reporters and Editors.

In 2009 he won a Maryland Delaware DC Press Association award for editorial critical thinking for an investigation into a racial incident involving a Carroll County school board member.

In 2006, he was recognized by George Washington University for authoring one of the top 12 Maryland and Virginia political websites.

In addition to writing for several newspapers and publications, Dayhoff has been a frequent guest on many local radio stations, including WTTR in Westminster, WFMD in Frederick, WCBM, WEAA, and WYPR in Baltimore.

He has been exhibiting art – mixed media collages, drawings, and photography - since 1981 and is a founding partner in Off Track Art, an artists’ cooperative at 11 Liberty Street in downtown Westminster since December 2008.

Dayhoff is active in his community and over the years has served on numerous state, county, and municipal boards and commissions.  He is currently a member of the Carroll County Agriculture Commission since June 30, 2008; Grace Lutheran Church in Westminster, a Silver Life member of the NAACP, and has volunteered in the past for the 4-H Therapeutic Riding Program of Carroll County.  

Dayhoff is a native of Westminster, Carroll County, MD, whose ancestors have farmed in the central Maryland region since the late 1600s.  He is a 1971 graduate of Westminster Senior High School.  He has one son, Zachary.  He currently lives and works in Westminster with his wife, Caroline.  He may be reached at kevindayhoff@gmail.com.