Bedford Connect was honored to have our State legislators, Sen. Mike Barrett and Rep. Ken Gordon, join us at our March 25 Bedford Connect session to listen, answer questions, and share updates on the important work they’ve been doing on behalf of Bedford residents.
We link residents to town resources and to each other, and we listen and learn from residents about their perspectives and concerns. The monthly sessions typically include 15-20 residents joining us for one hour to hear updates on what’s going on in Bedford and engage in open discussions about town issues. Thursday’s meeting was a wonderful opportunity to hear more about what’s going on at the State level that impacts Bedford.
Barrett has worked tirelessly on a climate bill called The Next Generation Roadmap that advances the clean energy industry, protects low to middle-income families and communities, and provides tools for the State to get to net zero emissions by 2050. Barrett not only provided residents with some background about this initiative and his efforts to get this to the finish line, but he talked about one of the important provisions that would empower local communities to move to net-zero energy code.
Gordon shared his experiences as the new House Chair of the Joint Committee on Public Service, as well as the workers’ rights bill that he’s currently working on to provide Paid Family & Medical Leave that’s fair for employers and employees. He spoke about the importance of the METCO program and its benefits not only for students from other communities but for the entire Bedford community. He also discussed his advocacy in diversifying the police and fire departments and shared about his efforts to allow local boards of health to administer Covid-19 vaccines instead of directing all people to large centers.
Sue Swanson, a member of Bedford Mothers Out Front and a regular attendee of Bedford Connect, expressed her appreciation for the work that Barrett and his colleagues have done to advance climate justice. She also expressed her appreciation for the session: “Thanks for the great Bedford Connect this evening. Well attended and well-received, with lots of good info.”
Another regular attendee, Kalyanbabu Rajen reached out to share, “It was an informative event, and I continue to think about Rep. Gordon’s efforts on diversity and inclusion. I continue to be inspired to become involved in the town.”
New attendees also took the time to share their thoughts on the session. Sarah Sjostrom said, “I truly appreciate the dialogue that Bedford Connect fosters between our community members. It was great to see that our representatives made time to join in this conversation and discuss the legislative efforts that impact our town.”
Another new attendee, Cheryl Blalock, said, “What I pick up from Bedford Connect was more diversity and understanding of different cultures within our community. Rep. Gordon was genuine and realistic about his work as a Representative of this district. I would like to explore and learn about the efforts that the town is doing on these important issues, and I would love to see how I can get involved and help.”
We truly appreciate Barrett and Gordon for taking the time to connect with Bedford residents. We also appreciate residents who have taken the time to get to know us and to allow us to learn from them. We’d like to thank all who have attended one or more of our Bedford Connect sessions. If you haven’t joined a Bedford Connect session yet, we’d love to connect with you at a future meeting!
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