Field use, town road upkeep, the town budget and a fire station were the main topics town council candidates Bob Young and Elaine Tefft debated on Monday, Feb. 12, in an hour-long debate.

When asked what the number one issue facing Bedford councilors is, Tefft said the town governing bodies and residents should work together. All towns have growth and infrastructure issues, but the way Bedford handles those issues is important, she said.

“I think probably the biggest problem facing us is a lack of community, a lack of civility. I think if we work together we can solve almost any problem,” Tefft said.

Young said the future taxbase is the biggest issue the town faces. Projected tax rates must be taken into consideration when all town projects are in the planning stages.

“We continue to want things we can’t afford today and continue to put them forward to be paid for tomorrow,” he said.

Both Young and Tefft said they had discussed the option of having a new fire station on the east side of town.

Young said he has listened to presentations to the planning board. He said he would reserve his final decision, but from what he heard, the station seems necessary.

“Based on what was presented to the planning board, it is needed to get adequate response time to that side of town,” he said.

Tefft said developers in that part of town should be responsible for some of the money needed to build a station.

“If they can pay for park area, I think they can pay to help us build a fire station to protect them, not just their property, but their personnel,” she said.

Tefft said she doesn’t support a 100-foot setback for wetland property owners.

Young said he was on the conservation commission subcommittee that originally proposed the setback for the March 2006 elections. He said the subcommittee spent three years researching the wetlands, and the issue now needs to be discussed with property owners.

Tefft, who has lived in Bedford for 38 years, owns Bedford Center Antiques and worked as a paralegal for her late husband’s firm. She is a former school board member.

“A list of what I’ve accomplished in the past is not as important as what I’ll accomplish in the future,” she said.

“I’m not running for town council because of what I have done, but because of what I hope to do.”

Young said he’s running because Bedford is at a critical point in it’s history. He is now a member of the planning board.

“It is critical for two reasons.

First and foremost, we are reaching build-out and therefore our tax-base will be limited in the future,” he said. “Second, I believe that we’re going from a rural to an urban situation and we need to define the character of our town as we go through this transition.”

When asked why she would be the better candidate, Tefft said she has “institutional memory.” She has been in town longer and knows the issues about which Bedford residents are concerned.

“I’ve watched Bedford grow from a small town -- which it will never be again -- into a town of 20,000 people,” she said.

Young, who has lived in Bedford since 1989, said his education and civic experience -- as well as his work in business -- qualify him as the better candidate.

“When a company is a $1 million company, you don’t look back when it was $500,000 or $300,000. What you need is the experience to take the $5 or $50 million company and drive it forward,” he said.

The debate was for the three candidates running for one twoyear term. The third candidate, Frank Sledjeski, didn’t show up for the debate.

It is part of the sixth-annual debate series sponsored and moderated by the Bedford Men’s Club.

The next debate will be on Monday, Feb. 19, and will feature the three candidates running for two three-year terms.

Incumbent Michael Scanlon will debate Christopher Bandazian and Michael P. Izbicki.