VOTE WITH YOUR POCKETBOOK MARCH 14th!!

We Bedford Taxpayers urge our fellow citizens to seriously consider tax consequences as you vote.  BTA Officers and Directors have unanimously voted to reject the following ballot items:

Town Article #2, Zoning Amendments:

          #3 – Eliminates high-density independent elderly housing.   Is unfair to senior citizens.  Deprives Bedford of excellent revenue sources, which don’t burden our schools.  Support seniors, Vote NO.

          #4 – Puts 100 foot buffer around 21 “special wetlands”.  Is illegally taking landowners’ property without due process or just compensation.  Moves protected boundaries of many wetlands into people’s existing yards and homes, preventing improvements, reducing resale value, and inviting costly lawsuits.  Defend your property rights, Vote NO.

          #13 – Reduces building footprint to 20,000 square feet in entire commercial zone.  Restricts building size unnecessarily.  Will stifle commercial developments, viable sources of future revenue.  Petitioned article not supported by Planning Board.  Increase tax revenue, Vote NO.

Town Article #3 – Proposes $6.4 million Bond for Connector Road now that will be built and funded by the Feds and State when Route 101 is upgraded later.  Wastes your tax money on this unnecessary road, with no promise of future reimbursement by NH.  Much cheaper better solution is a second school driveway.  Reduce tax increases, Vote NO.

School Articles:

          #13 – Stops construction of high school.  Invites lawsuit by the Contractor and possibly costs even more.

          #14 – Allows parents to choose Manchester for high school.   Not needed.  Choice has always existed for special circumstances.

   #15 – Proposes to Bond 10.6 million of operating costs.  Is unlawful and irrational.  These costs were already paid without added interest.

Please Vote NO March 14th on all of the above to avoid more tax increases in Bedford.

Roy Stewart, Paul Goldberg, Lynn Akins, Joleen Worden, Norm Longval, Pete Caron, Armand Boisvert, Lorraine Radick, Sheila Barry.

Voters of Bedford:  Vote NO on Town Article 3, the Connector Road.

Reasons:

 1.  A road between Wallace and Nashua Roads is not needed now.

There are better less expensive alternatives for a second access to the two new schools, for which we will be reimbursed 30% by the Dept. of Education as part of the coast of the new schools. This second access is not needed until 2008-2009, when high school juniors and seniors start driving to school, so this issue can be resolved next year.

 2. The $6.5 mill!on cost is too high, and will increase your tax rate by 21 cents the first 2 years with a 20-year bond, or by 33 cents the first year of a l0-year bond.

 3. A connector road won’t be needed until 2014 (or later) when the State DOT decides to design, build and fund Route 101 corridor improvements.

 4. There is no guarantee of reimbursement by the State/Feds if we build this road now. So why build it now?

 5.  Through traffic shoul remain on Route 101 and not be diverted over local roads. Connecting Wallace and Nashua Roads will create more congestion and safety problems at Nashua and County Roads, the main entrance to the new schools, and at McKelvie five corners (Liberty Hill/County/Gault Roads), which is already a problem.

Vote NO on Town Article 3

 Roy H. Stewart

To the Editor:

Re your editorial, "Not time for a change." it appears that you have fallen for the specious argument of the Bedford School District that a one-month head start gives Bedford a big advantage in recruiting and hiring teachers and staff, especially for the new Bedford High School.  What you fail to recognize is that the Bedford School District could begin hiring RIGHT NOW for the new high school, making the contracts "subject to approval of the voters at the 2007 Annual School District Meeting."

Neighboring Merrimack votes in April (previously voting in May), with little or no evidence of a disadvantage in recruiting / hiring. Yes, maybe one or two were reluctant to wait. That tells me they were opportunists, maybe not the best-of-the best.  Do we really want those who cannot wait a month?  Because of Bedford's enviable educational reputation, there may be any number of candidates who are anxious to sign on with the new Bedford High School. The school budget has ALWAYS passed, meaning a one-month delay for final approval of contracts should pose no problem in lining up highly-qualified candidates for most - if not all - openings long before the April 2007 vote.

It's interesting that those who shout the loudest about voter's rights and making it easier to vote don't find this important in Bedford.  Voters take a back seat to recruitment and hiring.

Moving Election Day from March to April will give Bedford "The APRIL Advantage."

1. More people will have the opportunity to vote because of better weather - seldom a blizzard in April - and many "snowbirds" will be back home. A larger vote will be more representative of the wishes of the voters.  Merrimack noted that there has been no significant change in voter turnout when they moved to April, but they previously voted in MAY, not March.  So, of course, there should he little change.  April / May top March. 

2. Absentee voting is not the answer.  One cannot get an absentee ballot just because one is concerned it may snow or rain on election day.  An absentee ballot can be US6Q lawfully only by those who will be out of town on election day, those who are ilI or otherwise medically unable to get to the polling place, and those who are celebrating a religious holiday. That's the law.  

3. The Bedford School Board and School Administration will benefit by not having to start the budget process so early in their fiscal year, and will have up to nine months of actual costs through March, so can make last minute adjustments, if necessary, for greater accuracy before the April vote. Merrimack noted that it found this as a "positive."  

Incidentally, when SB 2 first passed in the mid-90's, the deliberative session was in March and election day was the second Tuesday in April.  The Bedford School District voted in April in its early years under SB 2 with little or no complaints about recruiting / hiring.  So this is not a new or radical change.   The legislature succumbed to pressure from smaller town and moved the two- step process back to February / March.  Later the legislature made Election Day optional – March, April, or May – letting the voters decide which they preferred.

Bedford Taxpayers association urges Bedford voters to vote YES to change Election Day back to the second Tuesday in April, as originally adopted, so we can enjoy the APRIL Advantage.

 Roy H, Stewart, President Bedford Taxpayers Association

To the Editor:

This responds to the illogical letter from. John Heneage whose letter, incidentally, is identical to a message on the web site of Coalition of NH Taxpayers signed by one Ed Naile, a resident of Deering.

Both claim the cost of the two new schools will be “upwards of 10 million dollars”. Preposterous!

Heneage and Naile also allege that due to the construction of a new Bedford high school “the average home selling price has plummeted from $560,OOO in August ’05 (the start of the BHS construction) to $302,000 in February '06." This is comparing historically busy late summer sales to slow winter sales, not at all comparable.

What Heneage/ Naile fai1 to tell us is the August average was based on the sale of 46 homes; the February average on just 4! FOUR! A much better comparison would be the full year 2005 vs the full year 2004.

In 2005, an average of 32 homes per month sold for an average price of $472,500. In 2004, it was 35 homes a month at $418,000. This indicates that the average selling price in 2005 increased by more than $54.000 over 2004.

Even if the average selling price is dropping - it's too soon to tell - it's due mainly to increasing mortgage interest rates, not to a Bedford high school. Reductions in selling prices were predicted to occur nationally - not just in Bedford - by recently retired Federal Reserve chairman Greenspan.

It’s really quite simple: As interest rates increase, potential home buyers with a maximum amount they can pay a month, have to settle for a lower price home to stay within the maximum mortgage payment they can afford. It has nothing to do with a high school.

Mr. Heneage apparently refuses to accept the fact that Bedford soon will have more than 1000 public high school students.  There are 965 projected to attend Manchester high schools in the Fall of this year 2006. And it will be 1000 or more in 2008, if not sooner.

Despite the blizzard last March, some 46% of Bedford’s voters made it to the polls, and more than 68% of those voted YES on the MS/HS. You lost, John. It's time to get over it!

Paul Goldberg

Vote No on 13 (link)
Adobe Acrobat File

To the Editor,

I support the candidacy of Norm Longval for a seat on our Town Council.  I have known Norm to be a caring, humble, and honest man.  He has the attributes and temperament for this office.  A few short years ago he collaborated with Steve Beals to assist the town with solving its long–term school capital needs.  That idea and their persistence saved our town millions of dollars.

Please vote on March 14^th.  

Respectfully,
Dan Sullivan

Growing Up and Becoming Our Own Community

For years many people have considered Bedford a "bedroom community" attached to Manchester. Prior to that we were a "farming community" or even a "country home community", but always tied to Manchester. While Manchester has grown into a city of 100,000, we have become a large town of 20,000.

Historically Bedford sent our public high school students to Manchester, because we did not have enough to justify a school of our own. However, those numbers have finally reached a point of "critical mass," and we will have over 1300 high school students in 2009-2010. Assuming a reasonable 12% to 15% attending private school, leaves 1100 to 1150 students in our proposed new high school when it fully opens.

Besides educating our own children, what does Bedford need to be a complete community? We need to generate a greater sense of participation in our community among all citizens, not just parents of school-aged children. I believe the proposed new public school complex will offer the facilities to accomplish some of that.

I can remember going to football games at my town's high school when I was a young child. School spirit and pride are intangible and "priceless", binding all members of a community. I can remember the wonderful classical concerts performed by famous people at my "home town" theatre. We can have that here with our proposed new public school auditorium.

I envision many types of events being held in the large double gymnasium. Town meetings and voting will be easily accessible when we have space for them. Can you see 3000 citizens telling the town government what they want in their budget? Can you imagine not having to park on the road next to McKelvie, or stand in the rain and snow waiting to vote? There will be continuing education classes at night and in the summer. Citizens groups can utilize the school for their meetings or special events. Sports leagues can share the gym.

People of all ages in Bedford need to come together and create a sense of "ownership for this town beyond the doors of our homes." We need to grow up and become our own place. We need a new town center, which the proposed new public school offers to us.

Lets stop living as an appendage to Manchester, and become "our own community"!

Joleen Johrde Worden
Bedford, NH