This Week's GOP View: What Makes Ridgefield Great?
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- Category: Local Politics
- Last Updated on Sunday, 17 April 2011 08:01
- Written by test user
By Ed Tyrrell
What makes Ridgefield a great place to live? Is it our fabulous downtown that evokes a warm feeling as you stroll endlessly back and forth? Is it our top notch school system with its dedicated staff? Is it the great senior programs at Founders Hall? Is it the nearly unlimited youth sports opportunities, or our wonderful Recreation Center and Golf Course? Is it our Playhouse with its great live acts and first-run movies? Is it the Cass Gilbert Fountain, or Keeler Tavern, or Aldrich Museum? Is it that we live in one of the safest places on earth thanks to our dedicated emergency services? Is it our great open spaces and hiking trails? No one thing makes Ridgefield a great place to live, because collectively every one of them makes Ridgefield the town we all love. You could move almost anywhere and find some of the great attributes we have. But you would be hard pressed to find another place that has so many of these all together. What we have is a balanced community. What has made us strong in the past, and what will make us strong in the future, is maintaining balance. We cannot let any one facet of our town prevail at the expense of others. We need to keep the town affordable so our seniors feel welcome. We have to provide our children the quality education that will ensure their success in an increasingly competitive job market. We need to be sure we have the diverse leisure activities that provide such pleasure.
Joan Plock understands the value of a balanced community. She worked tirelessly to preserve that balance during her time on the Board of Selectmen. When she left, Joan knew there was a great replacement waiting in the wings, Marty Heiser. Marty shares the same values as Joan. As a former Chairwoman of the Board of Education, Joan never stopped believing in strong schools. Marty shares that same strong commitment to education. At the same time, both believe we cannot sacrifice everything else that contributes to our quality of life to support schools without asking hard questions. They believe we cannot allow taxes to increase so that seniors, who have been the backbone of the community, can no longer afford to live here. Joan and Marty believe we need targeted economic development to mitigate the tax burden, but not so we lose our wonderful downtown, or turn Route 7 into Federal Road. Marty Heiser is by far the most qualified candidate to continue Joan’s work on our Board of Selectmen. His years of dedication on the Board of Finance gives him the very best perspective on the tough choices that need to be made, ensuring the balance that makes Ridgefield a great place to live is never sacrificed. Joan was always willing to make tough choices. And she supports Marty because of his demonstrated courage to never shy away from tough decisions. Marty will do what is best for Ridgefield regardless of the personal consequences.
We should all join Joan in voting for Marty Heiser on April 27th. * We welcome Ridgefield Democratic Committee to share their weekly view. Please send to: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
