Mark Reynolds for Richmond Town Council 2024

Seems like not long ago I was thanking you for supporting my campaign for Richmond Town Council after coming 170 votes short of being elected. Although they say “time flies when you’re having fun,” the time since December 2022 with the new Town Council has been anything but fun. Two new members in particular have engaged in behavior that has turned our usually boring Town meetings into a sea of dysfunction. Actions ranging from a rude and condescending attitude toward town staff and residents, to ignoring the provisions of our Town Charter and the will of a majority of residents, to seeking sweetheart tax deals for a single developer, have resulted in regular statewide news coverage. Clearly not the kind of publicity Richmond wants when it’s trying to attract business and investment. For this reason I have decided far sooner than I thought I would have to that I will be running for Town Council in 2024.

One thing that I learned after the election was that money played a large role. Filings made after the election revealed that two candidates who were elected each received donations totalling $3,000 each from individuals connected to The Preserve at Boulder Hills. This funded a town wide postcard mailing just before the election. Three thousand dollars is a huge sum for a small town election campaign and what’s even more concerning the money was tied to a single entity (hence the attempted sweetheart deal mentioned above).