The new majority on the Rye City Council added one to their team on Thursday when Sara Goddard was sworn in as a new (and returning) City of Rye Councilmember by Rye City Court Judge Valerie Livingston at a Rye City Hall ceremony. Godard was appointed Wednesday night to fill the seat vacated by the resignation of Ben Stacks. She previously served four years on Rye City Council in 2018 through 2021.
When asked by MyRye.com back in 2017 why she was running, Goddard said “I’ve been dismayed by the heightened rancor in our city government. It doesn’t reflect who we are. We’re better than that. More importantly, it stifles constructive decision-making and productivity.”
At the time, she ran on the Moving Rye Forward team with current Mayor Josh Cohn, current Councilmember Julie Souza and Ben Stacks, who resigned from the Council in December, opening the seat that is now being filled by Goddard. Now Goddard is aligned with the new Council majority who have made moved to isolate the Mayor, Souza and their past decision making.
A Democrat, Goddard is the founder and former chair of the Rye Sustainability Committee.
