NSBNEWS.net photos by Henry Frederick.
At far left, Cindy Richenberg, wife of Zone 1 City Commissioner Randy Richenberg and a retired city firefighter, holds up three signs for prospective voters Wednesday morning at the New Smyrna Beach Library during Early Voting. At near left, Richenberg stands near one of his larger sign displays on U.S. 1 two weeks ago.
NEW SMYRNA BEACH -- Retired city firefighter Cindy Richenberg was standing by her man during the morning hours all week at the main entrance-way to the New Smyrna Beach Library during Early Voting, which ended Saturday.
Her husband, Zone 1 City Commissioner Randy Richenberg, is seeking re-election for a second four-year term.
Richenberg's challenger is Judy Reiker, who has received endorsements from the Southeast Volusia Board of Realtors and NSBNEWS.net.
Richenberg has received endorsements from the Teamsters union, which represents city police officers and from the International Association of Firefighters, the union that represents the city's fire fighters.
NSBNEWS.net's endorsement of Reiker upset Cindy Richenberg, who said it read like something "Right out of the Shadow," referring to NSBShadow.com, operated by Nahum Litt, a retired federal judge, who has mercilessly lampooned and criticized not only Randy Richenberg, but his wife and her city pension.
NSBNEWS.net did not make fun or ridicule Richenberg or his family, but was harshly critical of his voting record and his penchant for saying he supports certain entities and then voting against them.
Asked about any specific inacurracies in the criticisms of her husband's voting record in the endorsement, Cindy Richenberg could not point to any.
The closest she came to an issue was when she asked: Who was on the dais (for the Gummey contract)? She was referring to the previous commission's vote to hire City Attorney Frank Gummey with an escalating contract that would force the city to pay him more than twice his salary.
NSBNEWS.net pointed out that earlier this year, Richenberg tried to have Gummey terminated "for cause" after he got into a legal argument with an attorney for the Utilities Commission. He had the backing of Commissioner Lynne Plaskett, but not Mayor Sally Mackay on this one, with Gummey's contract calling for him to be paid $450,000.
The endorsement by NSBNEWS.net for challenger Judy Reiker also pointed out that Richenberg twice voted to use reserves to lower annual budgets and that he said he was bullied by resident Bill Koleszar into lowering the budget and then agreeing with him by voting to lower it the second time around.
Regardless, Cindy Richenberg said "Life goes on," and that win or lose, her husband would continue to do whatever he could to "help the city."
Randy Richenberg has not spoken to NSBNEWS.net since the Oct. 24 posting of the endorsement in favor of Reiker.
NSBNEWS.net endorsed mayoral candidate Adam Barringer over first-term incumbent Sally Mackay, which was posted Oct. 26. Barringer also has been endorsed by the police and fire unions and the Southeast Volusia Board of Realtors.
"He's my husband, I would support him no matter what he did," she said. "I'm proud of him. That's what love and marriage is all about. I thought endorsements were about what people do right."