There will be at least three new faces in the lineup of Bedford elected officials following the Town Election on Saturday, March 9.
Both members of the Board of Library Trustees whose terms expire next March have announced they won’t be running again. And the crucial position of moderator has been vacant for almost three months.
Although the election is more than 12 weeks away, incumbents and other candidates are already starting to make plans because the annual nominating caucus is scheduled for Tuesday, Jan. 9 in Town Hall.
Since a caucus nomination is almost automatic, most candidates prefer that avenue to inclusion on the ballot. The other option is a nominating petition signed by at least 50 Bedford voters; papers are now available in the town clerk’s office.
The caucus will be crucial to identifying a candidate for moderator. After Mark Siegenthaler’s resignation in September, the deputy moderator, Betsey Anderson, filled in to preside at the Nov. 6 Special Town Meeting. Anderson, a former moderator, has said she will not be a candidate.
This week, when asked, Planning Board member Chris Gittins said he will seek re-election. So did Anita Raj, who has served on the Board of Health for four terms. Dan Brosgol, whose School Committee term expires, said, “You will see my name on the ballot in March.”
Other incumbents were less definitive when asked about their plans.
“I’ll keep you posted,” said Select Board member Margot Fleischman when asked if she has decided about seeking a fifth term.
Brian O’Donnell, one of the town’s two representatives on the Shawsheen Valley Technical High School Committee, said he is “not 100 percent but most likely I will do it again.”
And health board member Maureen Richichi, asked if she would be running for a second term, replied, “Most likely, but still considering.”
Longtime Library Trustee Michael Pulizzi told fellow board members at their meeting this week that he will retire. And the youngest board member, Fahad Alden, said on social media that “I need to focus on maintaining my health and have decided that the best way forward is to lighten my responsibilities.”
Alden, an undergraduate at the University of Massachusetts, Lowell, represents his fellow students on the UMass Board of Trustees.
Also expiring in March is Dennis Ross’s term on the Board of Assessors.
Loading ...
