Oct. 20 -- Yesterday the candidates met at the bi-annual High School debate between the First Selectman candidates, and for the second time Rudy Marconi came away the clear winner. This judgment was ratified today when the Senior Class "elected" Mr. Marconi as First Selectman in their annual Mock Election. [Photo: left to right - 6 student panelists, Selectman Barbara Manners, Rudy Marconi, and School Board member Kitty Fischer]
The two First Selectmen candidates, the five Selectman candidates, and three of the five Board of Education candidates met on the stage at the High School to challenge each other's vision of the future of Ridgefield. They were met by a well-informed team of six interviewers from the student body, each armed to the teeth with a wide-ranging battery of questions. About 150 members of the student body looked on, and applauded wildly when answers were to their liking. After the formal Q&A was completed, members of the audience were given a chance to ask their own questions. The whole event lasted just over an hour. The debate was sponsored by the Ridgefield League of Women Voters.
[Photo: Mike Jones, Joseph Heyman and all the candidates waited in the High School music room for the debate to start.]
Some questions were predictable, about the lack of a drive-through food service establishment in town, or the opportunities at Bennettıs Pond. Some were much tougher, like an analysis of Super 7 or plans to make students feel more a part of the local community. The candidates fielded the questions as best they could and afterwards chatted with the students.
After the debate, Jennifer Turner reported she was pleased with the news on the environmental issues. "I was glad that the candidates seemed genuinely concerned about protecting the open space," she said, adding that it was her special concern that the people of Ridgefield need to look beyond their own special needs. "They also should think also about the fact that there are other animals that live in the open spaces, and [those spaces] should be protected not just for us, the people, but also for the other creatures themselves."
Meg Hanley thought some of the candidates missed the mark. "I think there should have been more focus on the classes themselves, not just the rooms in which the classes are held," she said. "We have to focus on getting students into the subjects they need and want for college."
Josh Kerstein [photo, right, with Selectman Barbara Manners], a student at the High School who was not on the interviewing team, felt good about the event. "All the candidates were well prepared, and they handled the issues real well." he said. Another student who was pleased with the overall result of the debate was Lisa Scott. "All of the candidates here addressed the questions we asked, and didn't just talk about their favorite topics. But I don't believe the candidates were really in favor of funding the things the kids need to succeed; when it comes to budgets, we're just not a top priority."
Ralph Serpico had a more cynical feel for the event. "A lot of the answers were just typical candidates' answers," he said. "Itıs one thing to say we're succeeding because all of these kids are going to college, but how many actually stay there? Are Ridgefield graduates really ready for the real world? Ridgefield's too easy. There's nobody in Ridgefield who has the desire to get out into the real world." [Photo, left: a student asks a question after the formal interviews are completed.]
On Wednesday, the students met to "vote" for the candidates they would select. The Senior Class again picked Democrat Marconi over incumbent Morelli. Two years ago, Rudy Marconi defeated Morelli in the student vote only to fall behind in the general election a few weeks later. Everyone will be watching this student election to see how well it has predicted the outcome of the general election.
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Democratic Town Committee, Rudy Marconi, Chairman
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