From left, Judge Darvin Zimmerman swears in new Ridgefield City Council members Dana Ziemer, Jennifer Lindsay, Sandra Day, Rob Aichele and Lee Wells during the Jan. 9 council meeting.
The Ridgefield City Council swore in its newest members Jan. 9, with the city hailing the 2020 group as younger and with the most women it has ever had.
During the Jan. 9 meeting, new councilors Dana Ziemer and Rob Aichele took their first oaths of office, while incumbent councilors Jennifer Lindsay and Sandra Day as well as mayor pro-tem Lee Wells were similarly sworn in following successful elections in 2019.
The city announced following the swearing-in that council “is now younger and has better representation for women and young families than ever before.”
“It’s exciting to see this council getting even more representative of the city we all love,” Mayor Don Stose stated in a release from the city.
He recognized that having a good mix of representation on council is important. The council now boasts longtime and new residents and three female councilors on the seven-member body.
“I’m looking forward to the new ideas that will help us be even better,” Stose said.
“Part of me running was to show other women and people raising young families that they can get involved here, and mentor them when they’re doing it,” Ziemer stated in the release, which noted her focus would be on advocated growth plans attractive to bringing quality jobs to the city.
Lindsay, who was appointed in October 2018 and won an election to fill out a four-year term in November, will continue working with schools, service organizations and the Ridgefield Planning Commission to maintain small-town charm in the city as it grows, according to the release.
Aichele will also have a focus on employment as well as expanding trail and sidewalk connectivity while keeping the downtown area vibrant, the release stated.
Both Stose and Wells also received unanimous votes to maintain their roles and mayor and mayor pro-tem respectively, the release stated.
