I ask for your vote for re-election to the Select Board so I can continue the work I started when I arrived in town in 2011 to help make local government benefit the people of Bedford. I am proud of the work I have done with my fellow Board members over the past three years and there are challenges I would like to address in my second term. Here are my thoughts on key issues in our town.
Most people I talk to about Bedford mention how much they like our town's character. Bedford has a great small-town character. This character was a major reason my family and I moved here. In order to preserve our character, we must understand that change is inevitable. The regional economy keeps changing, people move in and out of our town, and technology is advancing. We need to shape the future by managing this change while preserving our town's character. As a Select Board member, I have spent time listening to residents about what town character means. Although there are some differences in what people say, there are also many similiarities of what residents want from Bedford and I strive to keep that in mind in my work on the Select Board.
As long as I have lived here in Bedford, and way back to 1996 when I started working here, traffic congestion has been a concern. Traffic volume is a regional issue, as geographically Bedford serves as a cut through during rush hour. However, there are things we can do locally to improve trafic flow. We have been working to address traffic bottlenecks and recently won a state Bottleneck Reduction Grant that should ease the flow of traffic through the Great Road. Construction begins in 2026. As a member of the Transportation Advisory Committee, I urged the Select Board at the time to improve the North Road/Chelmsford Road intersection and am pleased that it was finished in 2024 making traffic flow smoother and safer.
I've worked with the town staff to add safety features such as hawk lights to intersections around town. The two tragic pedestrian fatalities last year have highlighted that although improvements in traffic safety have been made, we still have more to do. Partly because of my advocacy, we have started the process of addressing Willson Park from a traffic and safety standpoint and intersection safety was named as a top Select Board priority.
I also serve as a liaison to the Trails Committee, and plan to work with them to create a fully accessible trail as part of our extensive trail network in town. This would likely use community preservation funding and enable many residents who can't currently use our trail network to be able to have a nice journey in the woods.
The best way to maintain our town's strong services while keeping residential property taxes low is to have a solid business base. As a Planning Board member, I worked to modernize the Industrial Zoning districts in town. I'm pleased to have served several years representing the Planning Board and the Select Board to the Chamber of Commerce, and gotten to know many business owners in town. During my time as a Select Board member, we have welcomed many new and interesting businesses to town.
The Great Road is our main street, and I like to think of it as our town's living room. As a Planning Board member, I helped develop a complete new set of zoning laws for the Great Road to make the area more visually attractive, more amenable to pedestrians, and to encourage desirable businesses to come to our town. This vision was the result of feedback received from residents after extensive public outreach. Making this vision a reality takes some time and I will continue to work in that direction.
As a Select Board member, I want to continue to work with our Economic Development Coordinator to make sure Bedford is a welcoming place for new businesses.
As we enter further into the 21st century, it's important that Bedford heads towards a carbon-free future. Promoting the use of renewable energy will reduce our carbon emmisions as well as strengthen our economy. In my first term on the Select Board, I am pleased to have advocated for the adoption of the Specialized Code which passed overwhelmingly at Town Meeting. This code ensures new buildings in Bedford meet high performance standards and pushes development towards all-electric heating and cooling systems. I was also been part of the hiring of a Sustainability Manager, who advises our town's boards and committees how to best take steps towards a carbon free future with the help of available grant money.
During my first term, the Select Board has overseen the increased use of renewable energy technology in town buildings and new developments, and has continued the Community Choice Aggregation program. This program uses the bulk purchasing power of Bedford residents to save ratepayers money on their electric bills and promotes carbon-free options for electrical generation.
I consider preservation of the natural environment as a part of sustainability. I have worked on both the Planning Board and Select Board to ensure preservation of existing trees when developments are done, especially old growth trees where possible. I have also worked to use Community Preservation funds for open space protection. My favorite walk in Bedford is to Fawn Lake, which was restored to its historic beauty using Community Preservation funding.
In 2019, the Bedford Housing Study was published by the Regional Housing Services Office as the result of a year-long collaboration with members of town government and public outreach to gather feedback from residents. I was proud to represent the Planning Board in this group. One of the key findings of the study is that Bedford lacks an adequate supply of moderate-income housing available for seniors and returning students looking to remain in Bedford while starting their careers and families. Additionally, many of those that work for our town and would like to reside here cannot afford to do so.
Any talk about maintaining our town's character should start with allowing deeply connected members of our community to afford to live in Bedford. As a Planning Board member, I have helped pass changes in zoning laws that created the new assisted living district. I have also helped create new mixed-use zoning areas that will serve as foundation for more moderate-income housing. I recognize that while new housing is a necessary part of the affordability picture, that impact to neighborhoods must be considered. We also must consider what market prices will actually be for units when a development is completed. As a Select Board member, I supported the proposed Carlisle Road development after a dedicated 55+ building was placed on its own parcel and after most of the units were changed from rental to ownership at my request. These changes were made in response to feedback from residents in the area and also to address a significant gap in moderate income homeownership opportunities.
During my time on the Select Board, I have also served as a liason to the Bedford Housing Partnership and been a board member of the Municipal Affordable Housing Trust where I have helped implement rent relief and the small grant home repair program which have helped residents stay in the places they are living.
Bedford benefits when more of its residents' voices are heard in town government. During my campaign three years ago, I promised to listen respectfully to others and work with people of various opinions on matters. I kept that promise. I have learned much from talking with fellow residents about your ideas and concerns, and have worked with many of you to make things happen in our town. I have a great appreciation for all the volunteers who serve on our boards and committees and for anyone who takes the time to share their opinions about how to make Bedford better and want to make sure that they feel appreciated by our town.
As a Select Board member, I worked with the Board to launch a community survey to look for ways to communicate better and involve more people in town government. I realize that although Town Meeting is one of the most democratic forms of citizen participation, that there are barriers to attendance for those who have child care responsibilities, work in the evening, and/or have disabilities and will keep looking for ways to enable people to have their voices heard. We moved the start time of Town Meeting earlier to make it easier to attend for people working the next day, and started holding a pre-Town Meeting session to hear feedback from those who could not attend Town Meeting. We have also held several public sessions for feedback on complicated and controversial items coming before Town Meeting.
Going forward I will continue to be responsive to residents that reach out to me and will make time to listen to these residents and ensure they are heard.
I have heard many people speak about the sense of community we have in Bedford. Bedford is a place where we can turn a flu clinic into a social event and that's part of what makes our town special. I’d like to create more opportunities for residents to gather together. Third places are places other than home or work that people gather at. Kids Club is a great spot for children through grade 5 but there is a general lack of entertainment options in our town for those older than grade 5, especially high school and college aged residents and young adults. This means that money that could be spent in local businesses often goes to neighboring towns.
As a Community Preservation member, I advocated for the creation of a town museum and successfully went to Town Meeting to obtain funding to help pave the way for the museum to become a reality which it did when it opened in late 2023. During my second term, I will work to convert the existing Fire Station building into a community center and also to create a new park area in Depot Park in the place that the current abandoned VFW building now sits.
One of the most satisfying parts of my role as Select Board member has been helping connect residents with town services so that their concerns can be heard and addressed. I consider this to be a fundamental part of my job as Select Board member. Whether the result is a new berm to resolve a flooding issue, making a street safer, or connecting someone with a helpful program they didn't know about, I'm very glad when I'm able to help a resident.
During my campaign three years ago, I promised to listen respectfully to others and work with people of various opinions on matters. I kept that promise. I have learned much from talking with fellow residents about your ideas, and have worked with many of you to make things happen in our town. I think what makes this town great is its people, and I’ve been fortunate in this role to get to know many of you and your own personal stories.
