Elaine Tefft for Town Council, Bedford NH 03110: January 2007

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.

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

HELP ELECT ELAINE TEFFT

Vounteers may contact Elaine at: threepeel (at) aol (dot) com

Please include your name and address, phone number, email, and the best time to call.

Please indicate what you would like to do to help Elaine:

- Make phone calls.

- Put sign(s) up on your property. Please indicate the address to which the signs are to be delivered.

- Help put up signs elsewhere.

- Allow the use of your name as a supporter on campaign materials and on this web site.

- Write letters to the editors at the Bedford Bulletin, Journal, Union Leader.

letters@theunionleader.com
editor@thebedfordbulletin.com
cabnews@cabinet.com

- Help canvas neighborhoods and hand out fact sheets.

- Hold a sign at the polls on March 13, 2007.

Please include any other comments or ideas you have.

Personal Information

ABOUT ME: A native of New Hampshire, I have been a Bedford resident for 38 years. I grew up and was educated in New Hampshire, attending the University of New Hampshire. My daughter Alice graduated from West High School and went on to Wheaton and Dartmouth. She is married, lives in New Jersey and works in New York City; trained as a chemist, she has become a computer geek.

I worked as a paralegal in my late husband’s law firm for 30 years. I researched legal and other issues, drafted documents, prepared witnesses for their testimony and was responsible for jury selection. As a Trustee of private trust funds, I’ve been responsible for the administration, disbursement and investment of substantial amounts of money on behalf of the beneficiaries.

My interest in American decorative arts led to my owning Bedford Center Antiques, membership in the New England Appraisers Association for 25 years and the New Hampshire Antique Dealers’ Association. I do independent research, lecture and write on various areas within that field. My late husband and I produced “Odds & Ends”, programs which were shown initially on BC-TV. Our program on KEO was used in the Bedford School System.

As a past president and member of the Bedford Women’s Club, I’ve helped raise money for scholarships and many groups in Bedford including the library and fire department. I’m a member of the Bedford Garden Club, Currier Museum and support the work of the National Trust for Historic Preservation, Historic New England and the New Hampshire Historical Society. I work to help them and other similar organizations raise money for research, preservation and operating funds so they can continue their important work. As a member of the State Board of Directors of the General Federation of Women’s Club, I worked to improve opportunities for women.

Even though living in and maintaining an old farm house is time consuming, I’m one of the library’s best customers and I play backgammon, bridge, cook for my friends, and garden.

Political Profile

I’ve held several offices since I started in politics as a teenager, some were elective some were appointive, but I learned from all of them. The people I worked with taught me a great deal about what it takes to be effective while holding onto your core values. They taught by example; they treated all of their constituents with courtesy and respect, recognizing whom they worked for and their legal rights to petition their representatives. I have consistently listened to those who feel they have no voice. I intend to continue my belief in these values when I represent you on the Town Council. They are very simply my core values.

I grew up during the Army/McCarthy Hearings, the Civil Rights Movement and the Vietnam War. I had read the Constitution and the Bill of Rights in elementary school. And I believe that those documents meant what they said and the rights they guaranteed were for all Americans. Of special importance in Bedford are the rights you have to the quiet enjoyment of your property, the right not to have property taken from you by onerous regulations, the right to address your government officials without fear of being ridiculed or embarrassed.

I first ran for office after I moved to Bedford and served nine years on the school board. I was on the town's budget committee, various building committees and planning committees, supervisor of the check list. Governor Meldrim Thompson appointed me to several state committees and on behalf of some of those committees; I traveled the state and took part in public hearings to hear directly what the taxpayers wanted done. I held the office of Permanent Journal Clerk for the New Hampshire Senate and from my office in the State House observed how laws were enacted and met with politicians running for local office as well as presidential candidates.

The Bedford Town Council is a non-partisan election. While I have served on the Board of the town Republican Committee, I declined to be re-nominated because I want to visibly represent all of the voters — Democrats, Independents as well as Republicans. As a Town Councilor, I will represent those who do not now have a voice, regardless of party affiliation. I will work to secure appointments to boards and committees that represent the entire spectrum of Bedford residents. And I will never forget my core values and that I work for you, the Bedford taxpayers.

Elaine Tefft for Town Council, Bedford NH 03110