Ridgway retains seat

CORNWALL — The faces on the Board of Selectmen will not change following a contested race for the first selectman’s seat. Gordon Ridgway will embark on his 13th term at the helm, with Democrat running mate Richard Bramley taking the second selectman’s seat and Republican Heidi Kearns retaking her minority representation seat.

Former Selectman K.C. Baird made his second attempt at unseating Ridgway. The final tally, with 516 (53 percent of registered) voters going to the polls, was 365 to 141.

The subject of a change in town leadership (either of particular individuals or for its own sake) was a big topic during the election season. 

During a pre-election debate, Baird spelled out his plan to push to bring better communication services to Cornwall, with economic development to follow; and to distribute the pay and job responsibility more evenly between the first selectman and the rest of the board. He advocated for part-time pay for a first selectman, although not necessarily part-time hours.

For Ridgway, it is about experience, and his belief that voters see the value in it.

The day after the election, he talked about the “huge learning curve” of administrative work that can get in the way of progress.

“It really takes two or three terms to get that down, so you can get through the mountain of paperwork it takes to run a town and get beyond it to other things,” Ridgway said. “As a kid, I watched a succession of first selectmen. It was a lively time for the town, but not much got done.”

Baird expressed his disappointment, saying he was very motivated to move Cornwall forward in many ways, including a new style of government.

“I think a large part of the reason I wasn’t elected was the part-time job issue. I’m not sure people understood it was only about cutting the pay, but still about getting the job done,” Baird said. “If that’s the case, it should be made clear what the requirements are for the job. The town needs to decide, and if they want it to be someone who works in town, then that should be made clear. I also think the selectmen should be on the board as a way to train to eventually be first selectman.”

Baird said he will not run again, but will look for other ways to serve the town and work to bring about recognized needs. He would like to see less partisanship, believing being a Republican in Cornwall was part of the reason for his defeat.

Ridgway said he doesn’t think there should be term limits, but that voters should be free to decide based on the best-qualified candidate. Some towns have gone to a four-year election cycle, which he believes is more reasonable for the job, but may get people out of the voting habit.

“I don’t plan on doing this job forever,” he said. “I think I’m in the second half, although the first one was pretty long. Part of my motivation for not continuing to run would be when the right person comes along.”