Sue Thomas, Bedford Town Council Candidate

Sue Thomas

Age (as of Election Day)

62

Position Sought

Town Council

Party Affiliation

Family

Husband Bob, son Matt, daughters Kate and Alie.

Does anyone in your family work in politics or government?

No

Education

BS - Niagara University, MBA - University of Detroit

Occupation

Co-owner and CFO of Rx Monitoring Services for 25 years

Previous or Current Elected or Appointed Office

Bedford School Board – 2000-2008 (Chair 2 years), Parks and Rec Commission (18 years), Bedford PTG President, Bedford LL President

Campaign website

none

Why are you seeking elective office?

We've lived in Bedford since 1989 and I started volunteering when my son was in kindergarten in 1991. I love working with the people in town to help maintain Bedford as a desirable place to live. Most of my Bedford activities revolved around school and athletic issues as my children went through the system. Now, looking at town issues, I believe that I could use my experience living, working and employing people in town to help address town issues.

The single most pressing issue facing our (board, district, etc.) is _______, and this is what I intend to do about it.

The single most pressing issue facing the Council is maintaining a stable tax rate while addressing significant infrastructure needs. Bedford needs a larger police station and other facility enhancements. Getting this done will only happen with wide community support. It took a long time for the high school to be approved and that only happened through hard work and a lot of outreach to the residents. A plan needs to be put in place with large community involvement and transparency. People are busy with their own lives, so it is incumbent on the Council to find new ways to reach out to residents and listen to their concerns.

What are the critical differences between you and the other candidates seeking this post?

There are four people running for three positions. I believe that all four of us are qualified to be a Town Councilor. With that said, I’ve not only been heavily involved in town issues for many years, but I’ve also raised a family, started a business that now employs 10 people and we own a commercial building in Bedford. My entire professional career has been spent doing budgeting and forecasting, in banking, a large corporation and now our small, successful engineering firm. All these experiences together make me more than qualified for this position.

If you are a challenger, in what way has the current board or officeholder failed the community (or district or constituency)

How do you think local officials performed in responding to the coronavirus? What if anything would you have done differently?

Considering that no one has experience dealing with a pandemic, I think that our local officials have done a very good job working to keep people safe.

Describe the other issues that define your campaign platform.

What accomplishments in your past would you cite as evidence you can handle this job?

As I mentioned above, I have the experience to handle the job. Having spent eight years on the Bedford School Board, I know what will be expected of me and how much time is involved.

The best advice ever shared with me was:

Be yourself.

What else would you like voters to know about yourself and your positions?