BY STEPHEN BEALE
The Town Council and School Board each have two new members, following the election on Tuesday, March 11.
On the town side, Chris Bandazian and Bill Dermody won two seats to the Town Council with 1,721 and 2,093 votes, respectively.
“I think my stand on taxes was acknowledged by the voters,” Dermody said. “I intend to begin work as fast as I can on the
things I said I would do.”
The third candidate, Jonathan Zdziarski, received 845 votes.
“I think we got two excellent people on the Town Council,” Zdziarski said. “I think they both do deserve to be there.”
Incumbents Bill Jean and Kevin Keyes declined to run for re-election.
In a crowded race for town clerk, Lori Radke topped five other candidates with more than 1,000 votes. The other candidates were Paul Roy, Brenda Bernard, Lynn Cornell, Anne Scanlon and Elaine Tefft. As town clerk, Radke will receive a salary of about $51,000 per year.
For town moderator, Ryk Bullock edged out Brian Shaughnessy with a 1,886-1,518 win.
Bullock takes over the post from Town Moderator Eugene Van Loan, who had served 31 years, from 1973-90 and from 1994-2008.
Bob Donahue and Don Graff took the two School Board seats with 1,401 and 1,630 votes, respectively. Bill Foote garnered 1,212 votes and Gary Pariseau had 706. The sitting School Board members, Steve Beals and Sue Thomas, had decided against running for another term.
“I’m excited,” Donahue said. “You know, after I lost in 2005, I was eager to run again.”
Donahue, who is a financial analyst for Fidelity Investments, said he would begin his tenure by listening to voters and outgoing School Board members. He also plans to do some reading. “My two goals are academic excellence and efficiency,” Donahue said.
Graff could not be reached for comment.
Cindy Chagnon, chairman of the School Board, praised all four candidates and welcomed the two winners.
“We had four good candidates this year,” Chagnon said.
“I’m very happy with the two who were selected.”
All of the school ballot articles passed, including a $445,000 emergency access road for the new high and middle schools, the $55,051,097 million operating budget for the district, $683,066 for the first year of a new teachers’ contract, $60,984 for the first year of a new custodian and maintenance staff contract, and $143,016 for the third year of the existing contract for secretaries, clerks, teaching assistants and kitchen staff.
Aside from the two road bonds, voters approved eight new zoning amendments and a house-keeping amendment to sections of the Town Charter concerning the procedure for Town Council votes.
The changes resulted from a disagreement in interpretation over how many votes are required before the Town Council can take action.
Bedford resident Roy Stewart brought a lawsuit against the town, requiring the town to clarify certain sections of the Town Charter.
The controversy started when there was confusion on what type of majority vote was needed in the appointment of a new town councilor in 2007.
The approved changes will correct language regarding super-majority vote by replacing the words, “Affirmative vote of five councilors.”
The sections refer tofilling vacanies on the council, appointing a town manager, determination by council that town manager is incapacitated, authority of council to overrule the town manager in discipling a department head, authority of council to incur debt, and waiving competitive bid requirements.