Saying Goodbye to Greg Rigby – By Anne Knowles

By Anne Knowles – March 2014

Andover has sadly lost one of its most ardent supporters with the untimely death of Gregory Rigby. Mr. Rigby, a resident of Andover, Essex County, Massachusetts and the United States of America, was a man who believed in and practiced good citizenship. He was a native of Michigan, but came to live in Andover, beginning a long interest in town affairs.

As a financial investment counselor and wealth management advisor, he had an active and knowledgeable interest in fiscal responsibility. As a taxpayer and homeowner, he was also concerned about Andover maintaining a prudent and strong accountability to the residents of the town.

To those who knew him, he was friendly and engaging, respected and admired as a person who cared about and understood his fellow man. He was appointed as a member of the Town Finance Committee in 2011 and served diligently in that capacity until 2012, where he reviewed and questioned the spending and budgets of the town.

He was not reappointed, but did stay involved and established a website called TownofAndover.com with his co-founder, Robert Landry, where they encouraged greater citizen participation. The website’s home page declares:

“The mission statement is to be the taxpayers’ advocate in the Town of Andover, MA. The website was created to provide greater transparency into the governance on matters vital to residents and taxpayers.”

Included on the website is an important note further stating, “the content of the site is in no way intended to be critical of our friends and family members, who serve as teachers, policemen, and firefighters. Your union leadership has been very effective representing your interests. The elected town leadership, however, has failed to effectively represent the taxpayers.

The current path is financially unsustainable for town employees, as well as the taxpayers of Andover.”

As one who exemplified his belief that “citizen participation” in town affairs should be a requirement for all residents, Greg Rigby was a man that can be admired as a good and faithful servant of Andover.

He will be greatly missed.