Thank You Ridgefield!

On Election Day, Ridgefield voters elected all twenty-three Democratic candidates – including First Selectman Rudy Marconi, Selectwoman Barbara Manners, Selectman-elect Sean Connelly, Treasurer Molly McGeehin, and Board of Finance Chair Dave Ulmer – resulting in Democratic majorities on every town board. Ridgefield Democrats thank you for your votes and your trust.

We understand this trust is conditional, a covenant Democrats must continuously strive to fulfill. Elected Democrats pledge, to their best abilities, to serve with humility, transparency, responsiveness, and accountability, to communicate with clarity, regularity and in good faith, and to deliberate, decide, and execute consistently with the community interest and best available information. 

Every campaign is the product of many hands, and the Ridgefield Democratic Town Committee (DTC) extends our gratitude to many.

Ridgefield’s continued success requires that our ablest residents volunteer for local office. Ridgefield DTC endeavored to nominate the deepest, most highly-qualified, and balanced slate possible. A tremendous thank you to DTC Recruiting Director Glori Norwitt for tirelessly soliciting, interviewing, and vetting dozens of individuals to assemble our slate. Glori was assisted by many conscientious residents, most notably DTC Corresponding Secretary Joe Shapiro and the nonpartisan IWB Candidate Search Group.

We were blessed with tireless efforts by DTC members, volunteers, candidates, and contributors. Space prohibits identifying everyone, but we wish to recognize a few key people:

• All 23 candidates for their months-long efforts drafting platforms, biographies, and “why I’m running” statements, canvassing, phone banking and campaigning substantively and positively throughout;
• Karen Sulzinsky, Mark Robinson, Jessica Mancini, and Angela Liptack, for creative efforts formulating campaign concepts, narrative text, and graphics;
• Susan Cocco for strategic direction and sage counsel;
• DTC Data Director Arny DiLaura for impeccable guidance;
• Campaign Director Drew Chapman for myriad aspects of the campaign;
• Jessica Mancini, Cameron Cole Carcelén, and Aimee Berger-Girvalo for curating “Your Neighbors, Your Priorities” and “Ridgefield CT Democrats” Facebook pages, Instagram, and Twitter;
• Joe Shapiro for securing our Main Street headquarters;
• Geoff and Maureen Bartlett for filling and emptying HQ, managing sign distribution, and tabulating results;
• DTC Treasurer Joe Dowdell for skilled financial management;
• Ellen Darvick, Alisa Trachtenberg, and Glori Norwitt for stocking and running headquarters;
• Kelly Breckenridge for conceiving and leading our mail efforts;
• DTC candidate coordinators: Jessica Mancini, Aimee Berger-Girvalo, Arny DiLaura, Karen Sulzinsky, Carina Borgia-Drake, Glori Norwitt, Sylvia Steinert, Alisa Trachtenberg, Ellen Darvick, Temi Bova, and Joe Shapiro;
• All our volunteers, especially student volunteers, who campaigned Labor Day through Election Day, with special recognition to: Michaela Fitzgerald, Ruby Saloom, Matt Brooks, Jack Sjoberg, James Hooker, Renate Nelson, Alisa Trachtenberg, Sam Sulzinsky, Blake Consentino, Aidan Geaney, Austin Girvalo, Will Hooker, Betty Kloth, Mark Seavy, Nathan Shapiro, and Keitha Kinne;
• Rudy’s campaign team, Gerri Lewis, Betsy Brand, Roger Garbow, Bob Costanza, and David Goldenberg; and
• Numerous others who labored in countless ways.

As Democrats, we thank our Republican neighbors for a vigorous campaign and look forward to a constructive governing partnership. Together, we sincerely thank and pledge to faithfully serve all Ridgefield residents.

The Ridgefield Democratic Town Committee provides this column.