Bedford Voters Have Competitive Races In Town, School Elections

BEDFORD, NH — Voters in Bedford have a number of competitive races for town and school positions on March 9.

Voters will go to the polls between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m. on Tuesday, March 9, at Bedford High School.

According to the town clerk's office, four candidates are running for three, three-year town council seats: Bill Duschatko, Phil Greazzo, Kelleigh Murphy, and Sue Thomas. Four candidates are running for two school board seats: Melinda Bator, Autumn Haskell, Michael McCormick, and Melissa Stevens. The school board seats are three-year terms. There are also three candidates running for a single, two-year library trustee seat: Jerry Hanauer, Doreen Schneller, and Hank Vanderbeek.

Are you a candidate running for office in Bedford? Fill out this Patch Candidate Profile Form, and email a photo to tony.schinella@patch.com, and we'll let voters know about your candidacy.

Kenneth Peterson is also running for a single, three-year seat for trustee of the trust funds while Walter Gallo is running for a single, three-year library trustee seat. Becki Kuhns is also running for a single, five-year supervisor of the checklist seat.

Voters will also get to decide zoning proposals on building height columns, an amendment to the river corridor smart growth district, a citizens' petition offering changes to performance district zoning, use regulations to performance district zoning, removing the town manager and public works director from the planning board and making the planning board seven members not nine, requiring 90-day residency for town council seats, and requiring residency for non-ex-officio board members.

View the complete town election ballot here, in .pdf format.

On the school ballot, voters can choose whether or not to bond $1.4 million for sprinklers and alarms in school buildings, $760,408 in raises for Bedford Education Association employees, approval of a special meeting if the raises are rejected by voters, and a $78.7 million school budget. If the school budget is rejected, a default budget of $77.5 million will be instituted.

Only the bonding proposal requires three-fifths of the voters to approve to pass; the other votes are majority required, according to the town.

View the complete school ballot here, in .pdf format.

The last day to register to vote in Bedford is noon on Feb. 27.

To request an absentee ballot, visit this link.

View the Bedford voter guide here in .pdf format.

For more town and school election information, visit the Bedford town clerk's office.

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