Lady Bird Johnson once said, “Perhaps no place in any community is so totally democratic as the town library.”  If only that were the case here in Ridgefield.  The fact that the Ridgefield Library long ago purchased the adjacent Webster Bank for expansion is not news.  For the majority of families who regularly use the Library the fact that its resources are strained, certainly compared to libraries in our neighboring towns, is not news either.  Some however may not be aware that our own chief executive’s personal involvement in the plans of our local library have disrupted its plans for expansion.  Mr Marconi’s requirement for preserving the facade has delayed and increased the cost of the proposed library expansion plans.

Rudy Marconi has now made it his personal mission to “preserve” the Webster Bank building, causing our library to continue to devote resources to a building whose only purpose seems to be nostalgia for a few. We all desire to maintain the character and history of Ridgefield. But a 1930′s former movie theater, long since gutted of any architectural significance, is neither the Fountain nor the Scott House. The building is designed neither for either a future Library expansion nor for any economically feasible commercial development.  Consequently it sits vacant. The Ridgefield Republican Town Committee objects to Mr. Marconi’s unilateral efforts, done without Board of Selectmen approval, to get the building placed on the State Register of Historic Places.

With town revenues falling to the floor, businesses on Main Street in peril and Ridgefield families facing unparalleled financial challenges, why has our First Selectman unilaterally chosen to focus so much of his efforts towards opposing the Library?   We don’t know the answer to this.  But we do know that we wish our Library was able to do what it does best: enrich our lives and provide an invaluable service to our community without having to worry about government intrusion into its plans. It’s time for Mr. Marconi to drop the facade if he truly wants to best represent the interests of all of Ridgefield.

Jim Carroll
Chairman, Ridgefield Republican Town Committee