Ron Ricci was elected to be chairman of the Board of Selectmen in a close vote Tuesday, May 12, as the board opted for his promise of change over the 11 years of experience of Lucy Wallace, the other nominee. The vote was 3 to 2.
Ricci, a resident of Harvard for 24 years, just completed his first year as a selectman. “Both are excellent candidates,” said Selectman Peter Warren, in nominating Ricci. Warren said he had spoken with both candidates at length before making up his mind. “It was a terrible 24 hours trying to decide,” he said, but he remembered the 2008 campaign and election as a vote for change and had concluded that Ricci had demonstrated that change. “He is goal-oriented,” said Warren, and “philosophically, he’s in line with the majority of the town.”
Wallace, who was nominated by Tim Clark, said that the current board had gotten off to a “rocky start, and everyone in town knows that.” However, “we worked through it,” she said, to the credit of board members and “Leo’s [Blair] learning how to be chairman.” Wallace continued, “Given that we’ve ‘ratcheted up’ what we’re doing as a board…it’s time to have somebody who has some experience.” She added that the coming year, her 12th as a selectman, would be her last.
Ricci, in speaking on his own behalf, said, “I think Peter, Leo, and myself were elected over a year ago on a promise of change. I think we did deliver on that change. In the last year we have seen tremendous progress. One of the most important things we have done is to bring…new people into the process, into town government, and we are starting to see the results of that. That’s a different leadership style than we’ve had before.”
“There are different styles of leadership,” Ricci continued. “Peter, Leo and myself got onto the Board of Selectmen with no prior experience and I think the three of us hit the deck running.” He added, “Not only did Leo hit the ground running, he hit the ground running as chairman of the board… He has shown tremendous leadership and he has changed the way this town functions. I would continue in that fashion,” said Ricci.
In the end, Blair and Warren voted for Ricci, while Clark voted for Wallace, with the candidates voting for themselves. Following the vote for chairman, the board unanimously elected Wallace as vice chairman and Clark as clerk.
