During Edgewood’s Regular Commission Meeting on March 11, Mike Rariden was appointed District 5 Commissioner after an exhaustive search.
While two candidates closely contended for this seat at the Commission Chambers, Rariden was selected and sworn in after a unanimous vote.
However, Commissioner Stephen Murrillo initially voted for the other candidate, Nathan Ashbaugh, from District 2.
Absent Commissioner Filandro Anaya refrained from voting, stating that “merely because the individual that I would vote for would get voted out” as he felt his vote could potentially eliminate one of the strong candidates unfairly.
Both candidates were commended for their qualifications and dedication to the community.
All in all, the selection came down to district residency, according to Mayor Ken Brennan.
“For me, they came down to a dead tie. The tiebreaker was who lived in what district. That was it. The only difference, in my opinion,” he said.
After a motion and roll call, Reardon, who has lived in Edgewood for nearly 30 years, was chosen to represent District 5.
He has been married for 41 years and has two adult children who reside in Edgewood. Rariden also has an extensive and equally impressive military and civil service background. He served in the Air Force for 20 years, retired in 1997, and worked in civil service at Kirtland Air Force Base after retirement.
Rariden has experience in logistics, operations and contract management and has worked on complex tasks like scheduling presidential visits and coordinating with the Secret Service.
Rariden was active in the Los Rios Homeowners Association, serving as president, vice president and board member for 25 years.
He has also served as a site steward, interacted with previous mayors on easement issues, and helped firefighters during the Colette fire.
Rariden said he prides himself on doing things with excellence, always adhering to integrity and humility, declaring that “there is no substitute for hard work.”
“I systematically apply common sense and good judgment to everything I do. That’s first and foremost,” Rariden said of his work ethic.
He also emotionally shared a saying his father would tell him often.
“One of the things my dad told me was, Son, your work is your signature. He said folks should know your work just by looking at it and knowing who did it. And he said, You better be darn proud to put your name on that work,” he said.
He also took the time to thank his family, who accompanied him that evening.
He shared that while he likes to spend time with his family and take care of his property, he wants to use his free time to help the community.
“I think sometimes retired life is almost as hard as working because I have a to-do list. It’s two pages long,” he humorously shared during his speech.
According to his speech, his new to-list as District 5 commissioner is intended to be centered on what Edgewood wants and what the people need.
He wants to tackle health and safety, an open and transparent government, fire danger and mitigation, and water and sewer concerns, including Campbell Ranch.
Rariden will fill the vacancy left by resigning Commissioner Sterling Donner.
Brennan also took the opportunity to announce that he will be running for re-election and that both candidates will have his vote.
“So hopefully, it’s reciprocal,” he jokingly told Rariden and Ashbaugh.
All commissioners congratulated Rariden after he was sworn in by clerk Michelle Jones, with his wife holding their Bible.
While Rariden stated that he has gotten familiar with ordinances and other items, Brennan assured him that training would be provided “to get him up to speed.”
Bobby Rush, Lois Reeves and Doug West were appointed to the Planning and Zoning Commission during the session, and Officer Aaron Frost was named the new Deputy Chief of Police.
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