Multi-million dollar budgets in a company are a completely different thing than multi-million dollar budgets of the taxpayers’ money. Of all the candidates, I have the most experience with multi-million dollar budgets that are funded with your tax dollars. For nine years, I was a part of the budgetary process for the Bedford School Board. We worked on recommending money for what we as a Board believed the schools required. We did not fund or recommend wish lists to the voters. We built Peter Woodbury during my tenure and there are recorded instances when I personally asked to add money to the school budgets when my knowledge and experience suggested to me that buying a better quality product at a higher price was the best way to go. It was a better value. I had no personal agenda, just a strong desire to fund the best education the taxpayers could afford.
In addition to the nine years on the school board, I also served on the Town Budget Committee. While the lion’s share of the tax dollars has always gone to the schools, the Town Budget was produced using the same process as the School District budget. The Town Budget Committee also weighed in on the School Board budgets. Once again, my concern was to act as fairly and equitably with the Town as I was doing with the Schools. When it came to my attention that the town employees did not receive dental insurance, as did the employees of the school district, I decided to do something about it. I asked the late Don Price to get me a figure on what it would cost to include that benefit in the town employees’ package. At the town meeting, as an individual taxpayer, I moved to add that amount of money to the town budget. It was the right thing to do and it was voted in unanimously.
Did I fight against what I thought was wasteful? Yes, I did, in more than ten multi-million dollar budgets of taxpayer money. Did I fight for what I thought was needed and fight to treat the employees fairly? Yes, I did, in more than ten multi-million dollar budgets of taxpayer money.
Clearly, I have the most budgetary experience and the most appropriate experience, by far, than any of the other candidates for the Town Council. Some things, however, never change, I still want to provide the best for Bedford that the taxpayers can afford. You can help me to do that by voting for me for Town Council on Tuesday, March 13th. Together, we can make a better Bedford for all of its citizens.
Sunday, March 4, 2007
Tuesday, February 27, 2007
Week Three: An Open Letter to the Voters
Much has happened since my last open letter. Many of you have taken me at my word when I told you I would listen to what concerns you. I am pleased that so many of you are comfortable talking to me about a wide variety of issues and that you trust me to honestly answer your questions. If I don’t know the answer, I do tell you I’ll find the information get back to you. And, that is what I have done.
I attended the most recent meeting of the Bedford Adults & Seniors Committee and they have some exciting plans. Before I met with them, I read their by-laws. Those by-laws provide that 75% of the committee is to be composed of persons 50 and over. That is their focus and their constituency.
It seems to me that this should be the rule on all other committees, sub-committees, boards, or commissions, appointed by the Town Council and achieving that parity is going to be one of my primary goals.
Time and again, the Town Council’s agenda lists candidate interviews at 5:30 pm, with appointments voted on at 7:00 pm the same evening. No time is taken to carefully consider the candidates; no opportunity is given to the public to give their input or to make sure that the people most affected by the work of the appointees are fairly represented. If they can list the names of proclamation recipients on the agenda, they can list the names of those being interviewed for a council appointment. There is absolutely nothing in the Right-to Know-Law that precludes those names from being made public prior to action being taken. If you vote for me, I will work to have an open and equitable process for those appointments to committees, commissions, etc.
I’ve been working hard to get my message out to the voters and to encourage them to vote on March 13th. Bedford is at a crossroads. Depending on who is elected, Bedford will either become a civil community with open access and information for all residents, or it will remain a closed club.
The choice is yours. Please go to the polls and vote for me on Tuesday, March 13th. If you need a ride to the polls, please call. If you know you won’t be able to get to the polls, please apply for an absentee ballot. You can do it on line or you can call the Town Clerk at 472-3550 for help.
I attended the most recent meeting of the Bedford Adults & Seniors Committee and they have some exciting plans. Before I met with them, I read their by-laws. Those by-laws provide that 75% of the committee is to be composed of persons 50 and over. That is their focus and their constituency.
It seems to me that this should be the rule on all other committees, sub-committees, boards, or commissions, appointed by the Town Council and achieving that parity is going to be one of my primary goals.
Time and again, the Town Council’s agenda lists candidate interviews at 5:30 pm, with appointments voted on at 7:00 pm the same evening. No time is taken to carefully consider the candidates; no opportunity is given to the public to give their input or to make sure that the people most affected by the work of the appointees are fairly represented. If they can list the names of proclamation recipients on the agenda, they can list the names of those being interviewed for a council appointment. There is absolutely nothing in the Right-to Know-Law that precludes those names from being made public prior to action being taken. If you vote for me, I will work to have an open and equitable process for those appointments to committees, commissions, etc.
I’ve been working hard to get my message out to the voters and to encourage them to vote on March 13th. Bedford is at a crossroads. Depending on who is elected, Bedford will either become a civil community with open access and information for all residents, or it will remain a closed club.
The choice is yours. Please go to the polls and vote for me on Tuesday, March 13th. If you need a ride to the polls, please call. If you know you won’t be able to get to the polls, please apply for an absentee ballot. You can do it on line or you can call the Town Clerk at 472-3550 for help.
Wednesday, February 7, 2007
Week Two: An Open Letter to the Voters
The most frequently voiced complaint I have heard in the last few weeks is the lack of representation of the average resident on boards and committees. This results in a pretty homogenous group of people who keep getting appointed and re-appointed. In part, it can be explained under the old “birds of a feather” adage. You can only appoint people you know and you generally make friends in your own socio-economic group. There also exists the suspicion, that those who don’t fit the profile of the well-to-do get short shrift in the interview process. The interview is sometimes pro forma and it is communicated to the applicant that he doesn’t stand the proverbial snow ball’s chance of being nominated. I know that both of those scenarios have and do occur.
But there is also a third possibility. Maybe the people who should apply just don’t do it. There can be a number of reasons. Writing an application letter is intimidating. What do you say? What are the criteria? Will they use what I write to make fun of me? All of those are valid concerns. I hate to write about myself, or even talk about myself. For me, it’s been the most difficult part of running for office.
If I find a problem, I try to fix it and this seems to be a problem. So, let’s try to build a sense of community in Bedford together. Let’s assume that the first two explanations for the make up of the boards and committees is no longer operational. That leaves the third possibility and that’s where I can help. If you want to apply and want help with your application, just call or email me and we’ll sit down together and get it done. My telephone number and email address are both on my website, www.elainetefft.com.
Before I decided to address this issue, I checked at the town office to find out how many applications had been received for the committee to study the wetland regulations and was told they have only received four.
I hope that at least half of those were sent in by residents who have signed the petitioned article that is going to be voted on March 13th.
That’s also the same day that you will vote on the candidates for town council.
But there is also a third possibility. Maybe the people who should apply just don’t do it. There can be a number of reasons. Writing an application letter is intimidating. What do you say? What are the criteria? Will they use what I write to make fun of me? All of those are valid concerns. I hate to write about myself, or even talk about myself. For me, it’s been the most difficult part of running for office.
If I find a problem, I try to fix it and this seems to be a problem. So, let’s try to build a sense of community in Bedford together. Let’s assume that the first two explanations for the make up of the boards and committees is no longer operational. That leaves the third possibility and that’s where I can help. If you want to apply and want help with your application, just call or email me and we’ll sit down together and get it done. My telephone number and email address are both on my website, www.elainetefft.com.
Before I decided to address this issue, I checked at the town office to find out how many applications had been received for the committee to study the wetland regulations and was told they have only received four.
I hope that at least half of those were sent in by residents who have signed the petitioned article that is going to be voted on March 13th.
That’s also the same day that you will vote on the candidates for town council.
Tuesday, January 30, 2007
Week One: An Open Letter to the Voters
That old saying should read: The more things change, the more they don’t stay the same.
When I first moved to Bedford on August 1, 1968, the year’s taxes on my home were less than $300.00. Now, some Bedford residents probably pay that to register one of their cars. My taxes are now twenty times what they were then and they show no sign of going down.
We all need to recognize that the town is only responsible for 17% to 18% of the tax rate. The state and county are responsible for 22% to 25% of the tax rate while the overwhelming percentage goes to the school budget. It should also be pointed out that the state portion funds state aid to education.
So when people get concerned that the proposed Town budget reflects a 28% increase, we need to remember first of all that it is 28% of the smallest piece of the tax pie. Is it possible to find savings in the proposed budget? Probably. I’ve yet to see a budget that can’t be cut to some extent.
The major part of the increase is a result of the payments that are now due on the road bond. The voters recognized that the roads needed major expenditures and supported the bond issue. I think it was a smart decision. Can I point out where some money can be saved in the proposed budget? Not at this point. But, if I am elected, I want to look at the detailed budget book and see if there are savings to be realized. There is a vast difference between value and cost and that is how I intend to look at the budget. More on this next week.
We have what is called a bottom line budget. Money can be moved from one account to another as long as we respect the bottom line. And there is no law that says the Town has to spend every penny that has been appropriated by the voters. It is permissible to use any unused balance to lower next year’s tax bill.
When I first moved to Bedford on August 1, 1968, the year’s taxes on my home were less than $300.00. Now, some Bedford residents probably pay that to register one of their cars. My taxes are now twenty times what they were then and they show no sign of going down.
We all need to recognize that the town is only responsible for 17% to 18% of the tax rate. The state and county are responsible for 22% to 25% of the tax rate while the overwhelming percentage goes to the school budget. It should also be pointed out that the state portion funds state aid to education.
So when people get concerned that the proposed Town budget reflects a 28% increase, we need to remember first of all that it is 28% of the smallest piece of the tax pie. Is it possible to find savings in the proposed budget? Probably. I’ve yet to see a budget that can’t be cut to some extent.
The major part of the increase is a result of the payments that are now due on the road bond. The voters recognized that the roads needed major expenditures and supported the bond issue. I think it was a smart decision. Can I point out where some money can be saved in the proposed budget? Not at this point. But, if I am elected, I want to look at the detailed budget book and see if there are savings to be realized. There is a vast difference between value and cost and that is how I intend to look at the budget. More on this next week.
We have what is called a bottom line budget. Money can be moved from one account to another as long as we respect the bottom line. And there is no law that says the Town has to spend every penny that has been appropriated by the voters. It is permissible to use any unused balance to lower next year’s tax bill.
Monday, January 29, 2007
Press Release - January 26, 2007
TEFFT CANDIDATE FOR TOWN COUNCIL
Elaine Tefft, a Bedford resident since 1968, has announced her candidacy for the two year term on the Town Council. She served on the Bedford School Board for nine years, the Town Budget Committee, school building committees, the Education Commission of the States and the Voc-Tech Committee among others; she also supported the National Trust for Historic Preservation, Historic New England, the NH Historic Association and various museums for many years. Mrs. Tefft is a past president of the Bedford Women’s Club and a member of the Bedford Garden Club.
As a resident of the Historic District, she has experienced several versions of their rules and regulations. When she first moved to her home in Bedford, there was no historic district, now permission must be applied for, a public hearing held, money spent for fees and expenses, all before being granted permission to cut down ones own trees or put up gutters on ones own house. None of this was envisioned or agreed to when the district was voted in. “I firmly believe that all residents are entitled to the quiet enjoyment of their property”, she said, “and I can find no valid reasons for the level of intrusion that has been forced on those few families who happen to live in the same historic neighborhood that encompasses a gas station.” She has appeared before the Commission on numerous occasions on behalf of herself and others, urging them to be a resource, not a barrier to maintaining private property.
Protecting the rights and pocket book of all of the residents of Bedford are the areas she plans to focus on if elected. “People appearing before any of the town boards have a right to be treated with courtesy and respect” she stated. There is no reason to ridicule anyone seeking information, to the contrary, an elected official or agent of the Town has a duty to provide the data requested.
Mrs. Tefft was educated in New Hampshire schools and worked as a paralegal in her late husband’s law office for thirty years. Her varied interests and experience give her a unique perspective and basis to act in the best interests of all of the Bedford residents.
Contact: Elaine Tefft, 472-2220 or threepeel@aol.com
Elaine Tefft, a Bedford resident since 1968, has announced her candidacy for the two year term on the Town Council. She served on the Bedford School Board for nine years, the Town Budget Committee, school building committees, the Education Commission of the States and the Voc-Tech Committee among others; she also supported the National Trust for Historic Preservation, Historic New England, the NH Historic Association and various museums for many years. Mrs. Tefft is a past president of the Bedford Women’s Club and a member of the Bedford Garden Club.
As a resident of the Historic District, she has experienced several versions of their rules and regulations. When she first moved to her home in Bedford, there was no historic district, now permission must be applied for, a public hearing held, money spent for fees and expenses, all before being granted permission to cut down ones own trees or put up gutters on ones own house. None of this was envisioned or agreed to when the district was voted in. “I firmly believe that all residents are entitled to the quiet enjoyment of their property”, she said, “and I can find no valid reasons for the level of intrusion that has been forced on those few families who happen to live in the same historic neighborhood that encompasses a gas station.” She has appeared before the Commission on numerous occasions on behalf of herself and others, urging them to be a resource, not a barrier to maintaining private property.
Protecting the rights and pocket book of all of the residents of Bedford are the areas she plans to focus on if elected. “People appearing before any of the town boards have a right to be treated with courtesy and respect” she stated. There is no reason to ridicule anyone seeking information, to the contrary, an elected official or agent of the Town has a duty to provide the data requested.
Mrs. Tefft was educated in New Hampshire schools and worked as a paralegal in her late husband’s law office for thirty years. Her varied interests and experience give her a unique perspective and basis to act in the best interests of all of the Bedford residents.
Contact: Elaine Tefft, 472-2220 or threepeel@aol.com
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