Dear Ridgefield community,
Standing under the beautifully lit tree in Overlook Park, after handing out hot cocoa and cookies to close to one thousand of our friends and neighbors at Hometown Celebration, your City Council is overwhelmed with how special it is to serve all of you in this wonderful community of ours. It’s in these moments we pause and reflect on all we’ve done and seen together as we end a busy 2025 and enter the new year.
It truly has been a busy year. One that has seen the passing of the torch from leaders like former Mayor Ron Onslow to newly-elected Councilors Hamilton, Favela, Davis, and Mayor Cole. Along with Mayor Pro Tem Chipman, and Councilors Wells and Burkle, the energy of our new voices have combined with those embodying the memory of our special place, redoubling our efforts to serve and connect with ALL of our community.
One of the best ways we’ve learned about HOW to serve you is by creating more opportunities for connection and conversation. We had a great time listening to residents where you live, in Greely Farms, Cloverhill, Pioneer Canyon, and downtown. We shared coffee and broke bread with you to learn more about how we can better reflect your vision. We celebrated with you at our amazing events and new business ribbon cuttings. We welcomed youth voices into City government by creating Ridgefield’s first youth advisory position on the Parks Board, and later establishing the City’s first Youth Commission, giving students a voice in local government. And we held open houses and town halls to get your ideas for how we grow from here as part of Envision Ridgefield 2045.
As it is every year, in every family, with celebrations there are struggles. We are so grateful to all our residents for your patience and resilience as we’ve navigated the significant impacts of construction on Pioneer Street, the Overlook Park splash pad, and major businesses including In-N-Out Burger. But thanks to your support and our staff’s dogged determination, we’re so thrilled to see many of these struggles overcome and become assets that are already making our lives here better.
There’s so much more that we experienced together in 2025. It’s one of the unique things about our wonderful City – every day seems to bring something new. New parks, new roads, new businesses, new artwork, new celebrations. It can sometimes seem overwhelming, but our Council is committed to making sure these changes happen in a way that maintains and never forgets the unique quality of the place we love.
We are deeply grateful to all of you who have put your faith in us to guide our home’s present and future. We’re so excited to share a wonderful 2026 with you, filled with new opportunities like breaking ground on our Community and Recreation Center, while at the same time focusing on where we came from with initiatives to revitalize our downtown. We look forward to talking with you about those projects – and more – in the months to come (especially at our State of the City March 17th). For now, we hope you’re having a wonderful holiday season, filled with cookies and hot cocoa.
Wishing you all a warm and peaceful end to the year.
Sincerely,
Ridgefield City Council
Mayor Matt Cole, Mayor Pro Tem Judy Chipman, Councilor Meghan Hamilton, Councilor Clyde Burkle, Councilor Lee Wells, Councilor Katie Favela, and Councilor Rian Davis.