RIDGWAY – Ridgway citizens elected three new faces to the Ridgway Town Council at its municipal election held Tuesday, April 1. New councilmembers elected were Debra Hynes, Jonathan Rogers and Rick Weaver. The voters also retained one incumbent, John Clark, who began his council service in 2000. Mayor Pat Willits, who ran uncontested, will also retain his mayoral seat. Each of these individuals will serve two-year terms.

The results, posted by Town Clerk Pam Kraft at 8:15 p.m. on April 1, revealed that Willits received 133 votes for mayor. For council seats, Clark garnered the most with 124, followed by Hynes with100, Weaver with 91, and Rogers with 89.

The new councilors, as well as Clark and Willits, will be sworn in at the next town council meeting, slated for Wednesday, April 9 at 5:30 p.m. in the Town Hall Community Center. The title of Mayor Pro-Team, which has been held by Clark, will also be voted on by the councilmembers at this meeting.

Defeated in the election were Ellen Hunter, who received 81 votes, and incumbent Dave Drew, who picked up 47.

The rest of the seven-person town council include Eric Johnson and Paul Hebert, who retained their two-year terms last April when the elections were cancelled for the lack of candidates.

Outgoing councilmembers are Drew, Rodney Fitzhugh and Sheryle Pettet. Fitzhugh decided to not run for re-election and Pettet resigned her seat.

In all, the election drew 149 voters, or 22 percent of the 676 registered voters. The turnout is an increase over previous years, when 82 voted in 2006 and 85 in 2005.

According to Kraft, there were 27 absentee voters this year, 18 percent of the total ballots cast. Kraft said that number was also higher than in previous years.

When asked for a comment, all of the new council members expressed their appreciation to the voters for the opportunity to serve the town. Hynes promised “to do the very best that I can do in service to the town,” she said. “I was thrilled about the turnout. Kudos to everyone!”

“I am excited to have won a seat on the council and will work to be a good representative for all of the people who voted for me,” Rogers said.

Weaver added that he was “happy for the other newcomers, Debra and Jonathan, and for the re-election of John and Pat, who have long served us so well and from whom I hope to learn much.” He also committed to “justifying the voters’ trust by working diligently in the best interest of this very special community.”

Clark added that he “would just like to say that I’m very grateful for the support of the Ridgway electorate. It is extremely gratifying to know that the voters agree with me about how important it is to be proactive in dealing with the issues that face us. I look forward to working with the newly elected councilors toward that end.”