Ridgefield Mayor Ron Onslow, who has served on the council for nearly 18 years, hasn’t given his retirement much thought until now.
Onslow, who attended his last City Council meeting Thursday, Jan. 9, will now devote all his extra time to spending time with grandchildren and great-grandchildren, traveling the United States and even continuing his work on the Ron Onslow Nature Playground in Abrams Park.
“I feel like I’ve been so busy in December that I really haven’t had time to think about it, however, my wife has,” Onslow said of his retirement. “I probably go to one to three meetings a day, four days a week, it seems like, and so she’s always hedging her bets on getting an airplane ticket to go somewhere to go do something.”
Now, the Onslows are headed to Nantucket in Massachusetts for the first time, as well as to Pennsylvania to visit family and friends in Palm Desert, California, and enjoy some spring training baseball in Scottsdale, Arizona.
As well, Onslow looks forward to watching his grandkids and great-grandkids play sports.
In his final council meeting on Thursday, Jan. 9, Onslow said he retired from operating his businesses for over 40 years and moved to Ridgefield with his wife, Sandy, with plans to sail his boat through the Panama Canal.
“But before I did that, I found myself being appointed to the City Council,” Onslow said. “... I reached a point that my window to sail the Panama Canal closed, and I realized volunteering and serving my community was something I had been drawn to do my whole life.”
Onslow has since sold his boat, adding that maybe it wasn’t the best idea to be climbing a mast.
As Onslow reflected on his tenure as mayor for nearly 11 years and the council for 18 in an interview with the Reflector, he said how proud he is of what Ridgefield has become.
When he joined the council in 2007, Onslow said the city was in debt. Now, the city has plenty of reserves, and Onslow said he hopes the council maintains the reserve funds the city has accrued.
He also remarked on the changes in the city.
“When I got on the council, Ridgefield was only 2,900 people, and now we’re in the 17,000s,” he said. “We have a grocery store. We not only have a grocery store, we have Costco. We have more gas stations. We have more places to eat. We have a Tractor Supply. We have Clark College that is just ready to open.”
Onslow said, when he joined the council in 2007, he was a business owner.
“There’s been all different kinds of people that have imparted their knowledge and gave me a better idea of what should be done, and so I’m real proud of what’s happened in Ridgefield, and I think we’ve grown very well,” Onslow said. “We have a really great city manager. … We’ve had good city managers. We’ve had a couple of weak ones, but, overall, with Steve [Stuart] in there, it’s a perfect time for me to step down.”
Onslow knows some people may disagree with council decisions or where the city is headed, but he doesn’t mind.
“Some people walk in and say ‘I really don’t agree with what you did,’ so that’s OK. You know, it’s all part of the game, and I like it, so, I’m going to miss people.”
From future road projects to more commercial businesses opening in Ridgefield, Onslow feels confident in his decision to retire from city government, especially with the City Council looking toward the future.
“I love being on the council and as mayor,” Onslow concluded. “I was there almost 18 years and I’ve enjoyed the growth. I’ve enjoyed the people. I’ve enjoyed being on the council. I’ve enjoyed making decisions. There’s a few that I’ve lost, but that’s OK. It’s part of the game. It’s part of being on the council and learning what everybody wants to do. So, I’m going to miss that, but I’m still going to be involved.”
Onslow also said he may attend future council meetings to speak during public comment if he feels the need to provide guidance or voice an opposing opinion.
