Published April 30. 2021 6:39PM
In a few days, voters in the City of Groton will make their selection as to who will serve as mayor or, more realistically, the person responsible for managing and overseeing the daily operations of a $20 million governmental budget and a $70 million budgeted utility company. It is incumbent upon the voters paying for and receiving the services provided by the government and utilities to select a person who possesses the necessary education, managerial background, and experience to not only oversee the day-to-day operations of these groups, but also to prepare them for the future.
Over the past few months, both Democratic candidates vying for the mayor’s position have been relaying their qualifications for the position and expressing their visions for our community. Based upon the information provided, I have concluded that the qualifications of the present mayor, Keith Hedrick, overwhelmingly outdistance his opponent. Unlike his opponent, Mayor
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Aundré Bumgardner won the Groton City Democratic primary for mayor fair and square, albeit with a very slim margin.
Yet by the fire hose of criticism aimed at him since, some of it mean and personal, you would think that he somehow cheated.
I can t remember a local election defeated Democratic Mayor Keith Hedrick is now running a write-in campaign to try to keep his job marked by as much vitriol as this one.
A former city deputy mayor noted in one of the many letters to the editor about this race that Mayor Hedrick s supporters have focused on tearing down the other candidate, while Bumgardner s have stayed positive and talked about his qualifications and vision for the city.
Published April 05. 2021 4:18PM
All of the city voters should have a choice!
There are an estimated 5,200 registered voters in the City of Groton. Only 665 Democrats participated in the March 8 primary that was decided by a slim five-vote margin between incumbent Mayor Keith Hedrick and challenger Town Councilor Aundré Bumgardner. This is not a mandate by any means. The Democratic nominee is running unopposed since there is no Republican challenger in the May general election. So how do 87% of the electorate make their voices heard when there is only one candidate? This is a clear case of voter disenfranchisement. Voter inclusion is what we need. How can this be done?