By Avice Meehan

First Selectman Matt Riiska confirmed last week what had been rumored for months: he will not seek re-election to a fifth two-year term when the Norfolk Democratic Town Committee holds its July 17 caucus.
Henry Tirrell, a Norfolk native and current member of the Board of Selectmen, will seek the nomination to succeed Riiska. Tirrell said he would run in tandem with Leo Colwell Jr., a fixture in Norfolk and current member of the Zoning Board of Appeals. Sandy Evans, a Republican incumbent and active volunteer who leads the Norfolk Lions Club, said she would also seek re-election.

As of this writing, it was unclear whether other candidates would emerge before Republican and Democratic town committees hold their respective caucuses.

Riiska said he has been meeting with Tirrell nearly twice a week for several months to ensure that he is fully briefed on what has become an increasingly complicated government role. He has also met with Colwell, who has served on the board in the past.

Tirrell, who works as a brewer at Big Elm Brewery in Sheffield, Mass., said he would work fulltime on the town’s behalf if elected. He and his wife, Robin, have two children, Charlie and Josie, and live on North Street. “I have been considering it for most of the spring, once I found out that Matt wasn’t running,” Tirrell said. “With the encouragement from many people, I decided recently to put my name in for the nomination.”

The last several years have been challenging ones for Norfolk and Riiska has been candid about feeling exhausted. He has served in a variety of roles in town for the past 30 years, including the Board of Finance, in addition to being an active volunteer with the Lions Club and the Rails to Trails Committee.
As first selectman, Riiska has had to contend with the ongoing aftermath of a massive gasoline spill that occurred in 2022; a series of complex bridge projects that stem from severe weather in 2023; the design, financing and approval for a much-needed new firehouse, and a myriad of other matters. During Riiska’s tenure, the town has grappled with the transition from elected to appointed officials in key roles at Town Hall with voters vetoing the latest effort to shift the job of town clerk to an appointed position.

Riiska has also been outspoken on the need to grapple with the future of Botelle Elementary School, which like schools across Litchfield County faces declining enrollments. Education is just one issue that will remain front and center in Norfolk, in addition to the regional challenge of finding new solutions for the disposal of solid waste and ensuring that construction of the new bridges and firehouse remain on track. n