~ Submitted by Stephen Carluccio
Chair of the Bedford Finance Committee
In reference to the June 23, 2022, Bedford Citizen article, “Appointment Stalemate Leaves Finance Committee Two Members Short,” I add some clarification and context. (https://thebedfordcitizen.org/2022/06/appointment-stalemate-leaves-finance-committee-two-members-short/)
The context of my statement partially referred to in the article (full version below), was my approaching the appointment process with a spirit of cooperation, compromise, and consensus-seeking. I listened and reflected on the deliberations and views expressed at our previous meeting and offered a compromise that I believed was the other members’ top selection for appointment to the Finance Committee along with the person who by far was my top choice. I was genuinely surprised my compromise position did not even receive a second so we could discuss and deliberate over it. My statement (see below) was made with the hope that the other FCAA members consider and reflect on these thoughts as we continue deliberations. I continue to have faith in the process and believe we will reach a good conclusion for the town in the near term.
My full statement from the June 23 meeting was: “Most communities, including and especially Bedford historically, are basically good and tolerant of different viewpoints. Working through differences of opinion and reaching compromise and consensus makes a community strong, vibrant, and welcoming to all. There should be room and opportunities for all. When individuals act as a group, even if in the majority, and will not tolerate any other perspectives but their own, that becomes the form of a mob. Mobs enact a very heavy price for the things and outcomes they seek. People should not be excluded or distrusted for having an opinion or position outside the control group. There needs to be room at the table for others with different viewpoints, positions, and experiences or this will not be the community I believe most Bedford residents want it to be.”
Additionally, I hope that the belief of an article commenter that political motivations are at play is not accurate. My understanding throughout many years of Bedford town government and volunteer involvement is that we strive for an ethic of non-partisanship. I do not care about or track any committee member’s political leanings. I do not think it is productive to speculatively label others from a political perspective and I believe doing so harms the fabric and healthy functioning of local community affairs.
Editor’s Note: As chair of the Bedford Finance Committee, Stephen Carluccio is amember of the Appointing Authority
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Thanks for clarification, Steve. Democracy only works when elected officials heed the views of their entire constituency, not just their voting block. Every motion duly put forth by a committee member deserves a second to open discussion, especially of a town resident already reviewed by a prior town committee for a volunteer position as time consuming as the Finance Committee. For Bedford’s democratic process to work, it is important its elected officials do not substitute power for leadership.