Paterson Liking His Role In The 2011 Election

Gordon Paterson seems to be relishing his role as "that fourth candidate'' for mayor.

And he doesn't mind the role of dark horse taking on a field of thoroughbreds.

"In Vernon politics today, the common goal of improving our town has taken a back seat to partisan bickering,'' he says. "We all share the same vision of Vernon’s potential – a healthy local economy, strong schools, safe streets, plenty of recreational opportunities, and a pragmatic, fiscally responsible local government.  But when we can’t get past personal animosities and political grandstanding we can’t make any meaningful progress, and we all lose."

Paterson, 51, is a registered Republican who bypassed trying to gain his party's nomination from the convention floor and instead collected the necessary signatures to get himself on the ballot as an unaffiliated candidate.

The requirement was 55 names, which represents 1 percent of the total votes cast in the last mayoral election. Paterson will be on the November ballot with Republican candidate George Apel, a Board of Education member; Democrat Pauline Schaefer, a Town Council member;  and James Krupienski, an unaffiliated member of the Town Council running for mayor as a petitioning candidate. 

Mayor Jason McCoy, a Republican, is not seeking a third term.

A senior surety counsel at Arch Insurance Co., Paterson holds degrees in geology, civil engineering and law.

And he is no stranger to Vernon. He was the assistant town engineer from 1987 to 1988, sat on the Charter Revision Commission in 1997 and was a member of the Water Pollution Control Authority from 1998 to 2006 and was its chairman in 2003.

He was on the Conservation Commission from 2007 to 2008.

Paterson has coached softball in town and is a co-founder of the Podunk Bluegrass Festival. He says the town is plagued by a lack of teamwork.

"It’s essential that opposing views are presented in any debate,'' Paterson says.  "The problem in Vernon is what happens next, which is nothing at all – the issues never seem to get past the argument.  If any progress is going to be made there has to be a move toward consensus, and that’s where our elected officials have failed us."

He uses what he says is a prime example of that.

"Consider how much time has passed, and how much money has been wasted, in the pursuit of one and only one solution for the parcel south of the highway at Exit 67 - Home Depot,'' Patersn says. ''It wasn’t so much a discussion about how to maximize the potential of that area; it was all about whether you supported Home Depot or you opposed it.  Both sides will tell you that they were willing to compromise, but no one ever really did.''

He says the vacant parcel is a testament to the town's "greatest cost … waste.''

"That’s the hidden cost of our failure to work together,'' Paterson says. " What other Vernon resources are suffering – the Route 83 corridor, Exit 66, Downtown Rockville? This is nothing new – it has developed over many years as the way our elected officials have chosen to do business.  And until that changes, there is no reason to expect anything different."