Plaindealer Staff Report
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Don Batchelder has announced his intention to run for the District 3 County Commissioner position currently held by Heidi Albritton. Albritton's term is up at the end of this year, but she is term-limited and cannot run for re-election. Candidates must live in the district for which they are running, but voting for commissioners is countywide.
Batchelder said quite a few people for whom he has a great deal of respect suggested he should run. “I have a fair amount of experience and offer a unique perspective that would be valuable to citizens of the county,” Batchelder said. He served as county commissioner for eight years (2001-09),... as mayor of Ridgway for 12 years, as Ridgway town manager for four years, on the Ridgway Planning Commission for 16 years, on the Ridgway School Board for 11 years and on the Region 10 executive committee for eight years.
Batchelder enjoys a challenge. He enjoys the long hours spent digesting information required to make a proper decision. He knows it’s not easy to handle a situation where there are conflicting sides. “I miss that mental strain,” Batchelder said.
“Many view government as a necessary nuisance. This generally leads to a distrust of governments. To mitigate this distrust, the services that government provides and the regulatory process necessary for a functioning society should be efficient, transparent and predictable. Elected officials should be courteous, fair, knowledgeable and approachable. They need to remember that they serve all the citizens, not just those that vote for them, and they need to take issues and the inevitable attacks associated with those issues seriously but not personally,” Batchelder said.
Batchelder has been active in schools, also, as a member of the Project Oversight Committee, tasked by the Ridgway School Board with making recommendations on design and construction of the high school and gym. He has been soccer coach for both schools.
Raised in a small farming community in New Hampshire, Batchelder moved to Ridgway in 1977. Since 1982, he has owned a masonry contracting business. He and his partner Patty have been together for 23 years. They have raised four children who are all pursuing careers of their own now.