Ridgefield City Councilor Rob Aichele resigned from Ridgefield’s council effective Feb. 9, citing the fallout from a divisive mayoral vote as his reason for departing.
In an interview with The Reflector, Aichele said he resigned because of the friction following the Jan. 11, 4-3 vote to appoint Councilor Ron Onslow mayor, removing Jennifer Lindsay from the position after a 2022-24 term. Onslow previously served as mayor from 2008-18.
“I fully intended to serve out my four-year term,” Aichele said regarding his November 2023 reappointment. “Regrettably [with] the turmoil created by the change made on Jan. 11, I concluded that I would not be able to be a constructive participant towards mending the fracture. Therefore I stepped aside.”
Aichele served as mayor pro tem during Lindsay’s 2022-24 mayoral term. He nominated Ron Onslow and was one of four votes to support Onslow’s appointment as mayor instead of reappointing Lindsay at the January meeting. This led to backlash from certain members of the public who chided the council members in the two subsequent Council meetings after Onslow’s appointment.
During a Jan. 25 City Council meeting, Sherry Stose, a community member for 18 years, demanded an explanation from the councilors why they voted against Lindsay.
“I’d like to know why,” Stose said regarding the mayoral shakeup. “...What was your thought process? Sadly, my first thought was discrimination. Discrimination is an ugly word that should not be used lightly. Where I stand, signs point there. Or was it favoritism? If that’s the case, shame on those four counselors who were part of that.”
Council members Matt Cole, Judy Chipman and Lindsay did not question the validity of the vote but were concerned about a lack of transparency leading up to the decision. Lindsay stated that she had not received comments from the four other council members prior to the vote, saying “the discussion never happened with me,” during the Jan. 25 City Council meeting.
Aichele stood behind his vote, saying he nominated and voted for Onslow “for his accessibility, his communication skills and his experience,” while addressing citizens’ confusion during the meeting.
Aichele is active in the Ridgefield community and a member of the Lions Club since 2019. He is also is a member of the Help Out Ministry, a volunteer organization led by Bert Shaw. The ministry works on several projects around the city, and works with Compassion 360, a charity group that provides food and clothing donations to the community.
“Bert and I have been working on the church lobby to implement the vision of the church’s new look, to welcome people into a new friendly atmosphere,” Aichele said. “...Compassion 360 partners with the school district’s resource center [whose] focus is on helping families in the school district that may need some assistance on different things.”
Aichele said he supports the upcoming April bonds. The bonds will allow the Ridgefield School District to construct two new schools if both Prop. 1 and Prop. 2 are approved.
Filling the vacant position
The City of Ridgefield is currently accepting applications to fill Aichele’s vacant seat. Ridgefield has 90 days from Feb. 9 to find a replacement according to state law.
Locals have until noon, Friday, March 8 to submit their applications. Qualified candidates must be a registered voter in the City of Ridgefield and must have lived in the city for at least one year. Prospective candidates can apply online at lf.ridgefieldwa.us/Forms/Council-Application.
Residents have until March 19 to submit questions they’d like applicants to answer at ridgefieldroundtable.org. The City Council will ask some of the questions during a March 21 public forum, according to the press release, while some will be read during the March 28 City Council interviews.
Although Aichele’s term would have expired in November 2027, the appointed councilor’s term will conclude in November 2025, but they have the option of running for election should they wish.
