For the first time in 35 years, Annual Town Meeting voters will conduct business without Town Moderator David Titus behind the podium.

In February, Titus announced he wouldn’t run for the position he’s held since 1980.

Through the years, he’s overseen debates on everything from major zoning issues to simpler requests, such as wanting a street name changed.

Titus, 74, grew up in South Dartmouth and moved to town in 1967 with his wife Susan, a Marion native, after graduating law school.

As a lawyer, he started at his father’s New Bedford firm before opening up his own practice, David Titus and Associates, in Marion.

Wanting to serve the town, Titus won a seat on the Planning Board in the early 1970s. For five years he sat on the board and was chairman for a time.

Though he found it difficult to balance his public service with his private practice.

“I ran the risk of offending my clients,” he said. “I would have to abstain from voting on something if one came before the board.”

He ran for moderator after his predecessor, Ralph Thatcher, passed away unexpectedly.

Titus ran against two other candidates and  narrowly won the seat. He said he was attracted to the position because it offered him a chance to serve the town without worrying about conflicts of interest.

“I thought, ‘that’s the perfect position,’” he said. “You have to remain absolutely neutral on everything. You can’t take sides.”

During his tenure, no one has challenged Titus for the position.

“Maybe people view it as a thankless job, but I’ve enjoyed it,” he said.

He said there have been some contentious meetings through the years. Zoning changes, in particular, have caused heated debates that have stretched meetings to multiple nights.

In addition to moderating the meeting, Titus is also tasked with keeping it orderly. He has the authority to have police remove and detain anyone who disrupts the meeting.

“I’ve never had to do that and never had to threaten it, but I’ve had to firmly tell people to take a seat and they do,” Titus said.

While keeping rowdy voters at bay is a small part of the job, Titus said allowing residents a chance to debate, civilly, has been his main focus.

“I try to give everyone a chance to speak,” he said. “It’s a matter of treating people with respect.”

A little respect can go a long way at Town Meeting.

Twenty years ago, voters were asked to change a street name. A man from out of state had recently moved to Crapo Street. He didn’t like the name and petitioned for a new one, Titus said.

“Unless you’re from the area and know that the Crapo’s were a prominent New Bedford whaling family, people might mispronounce the name,” Titus said.

From Titus’ perspective, it seemed likely the request would pass, until the resident told voters how embarrassed he was to have a Crapo Street address.

“I watched the audience get more and more ticked off. It was as if they were thinking, ‘who is this guy to dump on the name of a leading family in South Coast history,’” Titus said.

When it came time to vote, the name remained unchanged.

“By the time he finished putting his foot in his mouth, he had no chance,” Titus said.

Though he’s stepping away from the podium, Titus will still practice law: “If anything, I’ve been busier than ever.”

Mostly, Titus said he wants to leave while he’s “still on top.”

As for the new moderator, Titus has the following advice.

“Don’t take yourself too seriously, keep it light, bone up on the rules and work on patience, you need a lot of patience.”