The Bedford Citizen - Community-supported news for Bedford, Massachusetts since 2012

Planning Board Candidates Offer Different Approaches to Key Issues

By Mike Rosenberg | 7 hours ago

Differing priorities emerged between two of the candidates for the vacant Bedford Planning Board seat during the League of Women Voters candidate forum broadcast on Sunday.

Armen Zildjian said the cornerstone of his campaign is diversifying housing inventory. Housing affordability affects residents who wish to downsize, “working-class families who built this town,” and people of other socio-economic backgrounds with little or no access.”

Chris Gittins emphasized “proactive” long-term planning, guided by the specific components of the Comprehensive Plan.

Zildjian, Gittins, and Bryan Jean are running for the three-year term on the March 13 ballot. Incumbent Jeffrey Cohen is not seeking reelection. Jean did not participate in Sunday’s forum; there was no explanation.

Bits and Bytes ~ March, 2021: A Compendium of Useful Links from the Council on Aging

Bits and Bytes is a PDF newsletter with links to pages of useful information, whether or not you’re a senior citizen.

An Appreciation: Don Blake

Published with thanks to the Charles River Wheelmen and The WheelPeople editors

Don Blake was perhaps the longest-serving of the Charles River Wheelmen cycling club: he was club treasurer from 1972 until 2011, close to 40 years. Don passed away on February 15, 2021, at age 89. We extend our condolences to his friends and family and share memories from Bedford members and others who remember Don.

Letter to the Editor: Supporting Maureen Richichi for Board of Health

We are writing in support of Maureen Richichi’s candidacy for the Bedford Board of Health in the Town Election on March 13, 2021. We believe Maureen will be an effective and valuable Board of Health member who responds to the needs and concerns of our Bedford Community. She has an open mind, a broad public health background, and is willing to listen to the residents to represent their interests. We feel she will use her expertise, experience, and balanced judgment to evaluate resident input, fact-based evidence, best practices, public health guidance, and collaborate with other Town boards to make good decisions for Bedford.

310 The Great Road ~ Images, Looking to the Future Beyond 2018

The Papa Gino's store at 31o The Great Road closed abruptly in early November 2018, and the property has sat vacant since then.
Online Today: Bedford Recreation Spring 2021 Brochure ~ Registration Starts at 8 pm on March 7

The Bedford Recreation Department's Spring Activities brochure went online today, and registration opens at 8 pm on Sunday, March 7. In addition to adult sports and fitness classes, there are pick-up leagues for softball and summer basketball, pending decisions by the Bedford Health Department, and a pair of dog training sessions now that those 'pandemic puppies' have settled in. There are youth activities galore: Hiking with your tyke, T-ball, as well as preschool and K-5 intramural soccer. Older kids can choose among street hockey, flag football, travel soccer, and tennis lessons. Or classes for art, chess, or Minecraft.

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Government

Youthful Candidate Challenges Long-time Select Board Member

Korben Whitt-Leitner, 19, lives down the street from Margot Fleischman. Growing up, he said, she “has been a great inspiration to me.” He also wants to replace her on the Select Board. Each responded to questions and offered statements to lead off the Bedford League of Women Voters candidate forum on Bedford TV last Sunday. Both are on the ballot for a single seat in the March 13 town election. Fleischman is seeking her fourth three-year term; she was elected twice to the Planning Board before that. Whitt-Leitner is a 2020 Bedford High School graduate and a student at Norwich University in central Vermont. Norwich is the nation’s oldest private military college. (Contacted this week, Whitt-Leitner said he would transfer to a school closer to home if elected.) Contrast was exemplified in their closing statements. Whitt-Leitner said the town is beginning “a new era” and needs “a change in leadership, a new way forward, a different type of thinking – someone to push us forward to make us better.” Fleischman asserted that Bedford is “one of the safest communities with an excellent quality of life. We have an outstanding civic reputation as a fiscally well-managed town.” “I really want to change this town. I worry about what the town will be in the future,” Whitt-Leitner said. He noted that the ethos at Norwich teaches active citizenship and he is following that model. He added that he would like to be Bedford’s first Black Select Board member. Fleischman said she has tried to be a “voice of balance” and “have used my platform to help bridge differences and come to collaborative decisions,” Those are especially critical as the town moves toward post-pandemic days, she said, when she will continue to “bring to bear all of the experiences I have had as a parent, a taxpayer and a public servant.”
Library Trustee Dennis Ahern Suspends Reelection Campaign

Dennis J. Ahern has suspended his campaign for reelection as a trustee of the Bedford Free Public Library. Citing health concerns in a message to The Bedford Citizen, Ahern expressed confidence that the Town will be well-served by the two remaining candidates, incumbent Michael Pulizzi and newcomer Fahad Alden.

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Extra, Extra!

Climate Change ~ Blowing A Gale on a Chilly, Chilly Day

Texas and its recent cold weather problems are a long way from Bedford, but we’re not immune from the possibility-or even the probability-of similar outages here. “The Texas blackouts showed how climate extremes threaten energy systems across the United States.” This article from The Conversation shows how tightly our water, electricity, and power supplies are linked. The author, Roshanak (Roshi) Nateghi, Assistant Professor of Industrial Engineering at Purdue University, says “Water, electricity and natural gas are connected… and because of these tight connections, outages in one system are bound to ripple through the others and create a cascade of service disruptions.”
New Poll – Vaccine Choices?

The Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine seems to be very close to being granted emergency use authorization from the FDA. The two currently available vaccines from Pfizer and Moderna are similar:

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Features

Priscilla Douglas: “You can’t let anybody tell you who you are and what you can become.”

(First of two stories on recent Black history in Bedford) “We were the first Black family in Bedford,” Dr. Priscilla H. Douglas affirmed. “But in my family, there was no […]
Ash-less Wednesday ~ A Reflection ~ The Rev. Chris Wendell ~ St. Paul’s Episcopal Church

This week marks the beginning of the Lenten season for many Christians, a time of preparation, repentance, and renewal. But unlike every other year for at least the last millennium, this year for many Lent will not begin by marking a sign of the cross in ashes on our foreheads. Today may be the first Wednesday of Lent, but it is likely to be an “Ash-less Wednesday” for most. The need to care for one another by limiting in-person contact to reduce the chance of spreading COVID has claimed congregational singing, preaching in person, the sharing of bread and wine, and now even the marking of our foreheads with ashes. Ashes have been part of this day’s liturgical observances going back to the 6th century in at least some places. Their formalization in the Western church’s customary was made universal in the 11th century. Even in my part of the wider Christian family, which broke away from Roman Catholicism during the Reformation five centuries ago, the use of ashes on this day took a mere 250-year hiatus before working its way back into our traditions and customs. It is one that many faithful Christians of all stripes may find themselves missing this year.

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Sports

Football Season Begins with Next Week’s Practice on Sabourin Field

There’s a foot of snow on the oval that surrounds Sabourin Field. You’ll need a shovel to get to the stands, let alone find a seat. And it’s going to be a while before the grills fire up next to the POMS snack shack. But the gridiron itself is green and dry – and ready for high school football practice to begin next Monday. The pandemic-induced “Fall II” season is actually going to take place, with safety modifications that have become routine for many student-athletes.
BHS Basketball Team Fulfills Commitment to Weekend of Community Service

Fulfilling a commitment to a weekend of community service, members of the Bedford High School boys basketball team recently spent several hours as volunteers at the Bedford community food bank. They also wrote letters of thanks and donated gift cards to heath-care workers. “I am proud of our boys for following through on an important part of our program’s mission,” said Head Coach Ryan Kilian.

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The Bedford Citizen - Community-supported news for Bedford, Massachusetts since 2012

Planning Board Candidates Offer Different Approaches to Key Issues

By Mike Rosenberg | 7 hours ago

Bits and Bytes ~ March, 2021: A Compendium of Useful Links from the Council on Aging

An Appreciation: Don Blake

Letter to the Editor: Supporting Maureen Richichi for Board of Health

More Headlines

Letter to the Editor: Supporting Armen Zildjian for Planning Board

Letter to the Editor: Supporting Margot Fleischman for Select Board

Bedford Cultural Council Grants Enhance Community Life

By Mike Rosenberg | 7 hours ago

Related: Letter to the Editor: Supporting Maureen Richichi for Board of Health

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