Hampshire's top cop eyes spot on board
Hampshire's Atchison likely running; no foe yet for VP Jeff Magnussen
HAMPSHIRE -- Four years ago, voters bewildered by scarily rapid growth delivered a strong "out with the old, in with the new" message in the Hampshire Village Board elections.
But as the political rookies elected in April 2005 come up for re-election in a new era when construction has practically frozen to a halt, they seem to be allying with each other against what looks like a challenge from several newcomers -- including controversial soon-to-be-former Police Chief Tom Atchison.
Nominating petitions are available now at the village hall. They must be turned in there between Jan. 19 and Jan. 26.
Atchison, who has announced he will leave the police chief job Jan. 31, has taken out a package of nominating papers and reportedly has been collecting petition signatures to put his name on the April 7 ballot for one of three trustee positions that will open up.
Atchison did not return phone calls seeking comment.
Meanwhile:
• Veteran Trustee Orris Ruth said Wednesday he has decided not to run against incumbent Jeff Magnussen for village president, as he had been considering since November.
• Former Burlington Postmaster Bill Albert, who had been thinking about running for trustee, also has decided not to run, according to two people close to him.
• Another newcomer, Doug Riker, has taken out a petition package, without making clear whether he plans to run for president or trustee.
Riker and Albert could not be reached Wednesday for comment.
Unless Riker is eyeing the top job or more people join the race, that seems to leave Magnussen all alone in the contest for president.
If Atchison and Riker do run for trustee, they likely will be joining two incumbents, George Brust and Martin Ebert, plus newcomer Aaron Kelly and any future new recruits in a race for three open seats.
The person holding the third seat is Karyn Danielson. She could not be reached Wednesday. But she has not taken out nominating petitions yet and is known to be suffering from a chronic illness that has caused her to attend most village board meetings in recent months via speaker telephone, or to miss the meetings entirely.
Ruth has been on the board since 1984 and is just ending the first two years of a four-year term. He said he decided not to run for president because of his age and his satisfaction with Magnussen's leadership. "I'm 66," he said. "That would leave me 70 after my first term as mayor, and a mayor should stay at least two or three terms to really get things done."
Kelly is president of the Hampshire Little League.
Magnussen said he and the other incumbents, Brust and Martin, have discussed supporting each other in an informal alliance and they also might endorse Kelly, who Magnussen described as a longtime friend of his.
"The work Marty (Ebert) and George (Brust) have done over the past four years has greatly helped the village, and the present board works well together," Magnussen said. "It would be a shame to lose them after one term."
When Magnussen, Brust, Ebert and Danielson were elected in 2005 -- all newcomers to elected politics -- it was part of "a wave of change" that also swept through village elections in adjoining Pingree Grove and Burlington, Magnussen said. Massive new developments were being approved or built each month and "people were unhappy with the way growth was being handled, with the development agreements," Magnussen said. "But I think (development) has been good since then."
