Ridgefield Democrats scored a big victory in Tuesday’s municipal election, seating all 19 of their candidates, including First Selectperson Rudy Marconi, elected to his ninth term, along with Treasurer Molly McGeehin. As a result of this election, Democrats will retain majorities on all eight (8) town boards.
Importantly, Democratic candidates won seats on Board of Education and Board of Police Commissioners, the only two boards for which seats were contested. Conversely, the Republican BoPC candidate was defeated and Republican BoE candidates trailed far behind the Democrats.
DTC Chair Arny DiLaura said, “We are especially proud of the victories of Wyatt Lipman and Jonathan Paradiso for Board of Education, and of incumbents Issy Caporale and Ralph Money for Board of Police Commissioners. All four are individuals of integrity who will serve Ridgefield in complete good faith and to the best of their considerable abilities.”
DTC Chair DiLaura succinctly explained, “Ridgefield voters recognized the consistent excellence of the Democratic candidates for every position and the substantive and positive campaign that Democrats ran; conversely, voters rejected the far-out-of-mainstream extremism of many Republican candidates and the dishonest, smear-filled campaign run by the RTC.” DiLaura noted that while the DTC and the Democratic candidates focused their communications, messaging, and campaigning exclusively on the issues and policies prioritized by Ridgefield voters, Republican messaging predominantly focused on promoting false accusations against the Democratic candidates.
The 2023 results continued the unbroken winning Democratic trend from 2015, 2017, 2019, and 2021, confirming that Ridgefield voters favor experienced, highly qualified candidates that campaign on substance, and are repelled by unqualified, right-wing ideologues who campaign dishonestly and who seek to foment division rather than progress.
The following Democrats won their elections today:
- Rudy Marconi, First Selectperson
- Molly McGeehin, Town Treasurer
- Barbara Manners, Board of Selectpersons
- Sean Connelly, Board of Selectpersons
- David Ulmer, Board of Finance
- Joseph Shapiro, Board of Finance
- Wyatt Lipman, Board of Education
- Jon Paradiso, Board of Education
- Issy Caporale, Board of Police Commissioners
- Ralph Money, Board of Police Commissioners
- Robert Hendrick, Planning and Zoning Commission
- Ben Nneji, Planning and Zoning Commission
- Susan Consentino, Planning and Zoning Commission
- Susan Baker, Inland Wetlands Board
- Benjamin Nissim, Inland Wetlands Board
- Mark Seavy, Zoning Board of Appeals
- Robert Byrnes, Zoning Board of Appeals
- Sky Cole, Zoning Board of Appeals (alternate)
- Stan Galanski, Board of Assessment Appeals
The Ridgefield Democratic Town Committee thanks all candidates, all volunteers, and all voters for doing their part to preserve, protect, and maintain our democracy. Every election is a choice, and doing your part with good faith is a gift not only to yourself and your family, but to all your neighbors who benefit from good government.