JAY – She lives two lives: one as the woman who manages a billion-dollar town and advocates for its interests in the state’s halls, the other fishing for trout and roughing it in the Allagash region.
Jay Town Manager Ruth Marden and her companion of 11 years, Clint Cushman, a former Wilton selectman, head north two or three times annually to do some serious fishing.
They live in a cabin without running water, electricity or telephone, much to the amazement of her mother and sister, Marden, of Wilton, said Friday.
“They’re amazed I would go somewhere with no phone, no lights and no running water because I’m the type of person if I can’t get into a shower every day, I go into a bad spell,” Marden said.
Their most recent trip was to Spider Lake, nearly 7 hours from their yard in Wilton.
“I love to canoe and fish,” she said. “I like to fish for trout. I also love to take pictures. Every time we go, I like to do a lot of wildlife photos.”
Moose, a squirrel that befriended her and a bear she saw last year have been some of her targets.
A 20-year-old painting by her mother, Jean Mitchell of Strong, of a moose on the shore of a lake with mountains in the background hangs above her desk in the Jay Town Office.
It shows the type of remote place she loves to visit.
A Democrat all her life except for a short stint as a Republican when she wanted the late Donald Richards to be sheriff, Marden keeps her party leanings to herself because as a town manager she’s supposed to be neutral.
Marden, 55, a native of Phillips, also enjoys spending time with her grandchildren, Austin, 3, and Emily, 1, and makes sure they have a blast at her home.
“I baby-sat this week,” Marden said. “Their parents are horrified that I let them trash the house but I told them don’t ruin my fun.”
When she’s not spending time with her grandchildren, working and fishing, she’s reading books of substance, doing counted cross stitch, walking and cooking.
“I love to feed people,” she said. “I like to grind the wheat and make the bread. It gives me a lot of satisfaction to serve that wholesome type product.”
Just ask the women in the town office, where Marden’s blueberry dumplings and pumpkin whoopie pies are a hit. Her favorite meal to make is lasagna with coleslaw and homemade rolls.
“Although, I make a wicked good seafood chowder, too,” she said.
Even though Marden spends a lot of time at her office in Jay and in Augusta on boards promoting the welfare of people, she makes time to call her mother twice a day and her sister at least once a day.
“We’re a very close family,” she said.
“I love my life and I love what I do and I’m grateful every day that I have such a good life and that’s sincere,” Marden said. “I like coming to work. So many people hate their job, I can’t imagine it. I have such a strong support system.”
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