Ed Pierce: Candidate for Re-election to the Board of Selectmen

I am pleased to announce my candidacy for re-election to a seat on Bedford’s Select Board.

Editor’s Note: Although Town Meeting voted unanimously to institute gender-neutral language in the Town Charter at November’s Town Meeting (changing Selectmen to Select Board among others), none of the changes will be official until approved by voters at the Town Election in March. The Citizen will use the term Selectman and Board of Selectmen until the official decision is made at the election.

Bedford is a great place to live and raise a family. The Town is well managed. We have great services. Our schools are well regarded. Our police and fire do an outstanding job. Our streets and grounds are well maintained. We have made excellent strides in the maintenance programs for our buildings. We can borrow at attractive rates as a result of our rating from the bond agencies. For the folks who work for the Town, we provide attractive salaries and access to good health and wellness plans and retirement benefits.

We have a wonderful business base to help underwrite the services we provide. For that I want to thank the volunteers and employees of the Town who have made it possible.

The job is never done however, we need to continue to spend prudently and actively manage our resources. As we attract new business or renovate older buildings we must look to manage their carbon footprint and the traffic for both our benefit and for the businesses it supports. We will continue to need to evaluate access and safety for pedestrians and bicyclists. We need to review and evaluate the services that we provide for our seniors and our youth. We need to consider and evaluate alternative housing options while understanding the implications on our services and our small-town look and feel. We need to continue to ensure the quality and integrity of the water that is supplied to the residents and businesses. Our plans need to be guided by and preserve the history and historical character of the Town to pass on to future generations.

I have been working for you on many of these items for the last 25 years on the Select Board, School Committee, Finance Committee, and Recreation Commission.  I would like to continue working for you and ask for your support at the Caucus in January and in the town election on March 14, 2020.