Two candidates vying for open council seats

Friday, March 5, 2010

Submitted Photo Mike Izbicki, one of two candidates running for the two open Town Council seats.

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Submitted Photo Jim Scanlon is one of two candidates running for one of the two open Town Council seats.

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Submitted Photo Mike Izbicki, one of two candidates running for the two open Town Council seats.

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Here are the candidates for Town Council for the March 9 election.

MIKE IZBICKI

OFFICE SOUGHT: Town Council.

 AGE: 52.

 ADDRESS: 21 Eagle Drive.

YEARS OF RESIDENCY: 25 years in Bedford, 38 years in New Hampshire.

EDUCATION: Pinkerton Academy, Derry, graduated in 1975; NH Technical College/Northeastern graduated in 1977 Electrical Engineering.

EMPLOYMENT: Self-employed B & I Transportation Consulting LLC, with main offices in Bedford. We are a systems integration firm specializing in inter-modal rail/transit transportation systems.

POLITICAL HISTORY: Elected to the Town Council in 2007. During my three years on the Town Council served as Vice Chair in 2007 and Chair of the Council in 2008 and 2009. While on the Town Council and prior to being elected to the Town Council in 2007,  have served on the following boards: Zoning, Planning, Bedford Village Development Committee, BCTV, Parks & Recreations, Regional Water District, and Highway Safety. I also served as one of two Town Council liaisons to the School Board in 2008 and 2009.

AFFILIATIONS: Appointed as a rail expert to the NH Rail Transit Authority in 2007 and reappointed in 2009 by Governor Lynch. I was appointed Interim Executive Director of the NH Rail Transit Authority in December 2008. I was appointed by the Town Council to the Southern NH Planning Commission as a representative of Bedford in 2007. I am also a member of the Bedford Rotary Club and the American Passenger Transport Association.

FAMILY:  Married to Suzanne for more than 26 years. We are the proud parents of two boys, Brandon and Jason, 14 and 12, respectively.

ISSUES I PLAN TO TACKLE: During the next three years, the major issues I plan to address are economic development and redevelopment along our commercial corridors, retaining existing business as they grow, improving the town’s infrastructure including roads, town buildings, etc., and continue working with the NH Rail Transit Authority to restore passenger rail service to our community. Without a quality transportation SYSTEM and Town infrastructure improvements we will not have real economic development in Bedford.

VOTE FOR ME: Because I thoroughly enjoy serving the residents of Bedford by improving our community and making Bedford a desirable community and a great place to live, work and raise a family. Over the past three years, I have worked hard with the Town Council and our town officials to make the Nashua Road/ Route Intersection safe for all drivers at no cost to the citizens of Bedford. We were successfully in achieving that goal. The Town Council also focused on making the Bedford Village Commons park a reality. Another success! The Town Council was able to purchase more conservation land adjacent the Joppa Hill Educational Farm for all of are citizens to enjoy at no costs to the tax payers. These are just some of the major accomplishments archived by the Town over the past three years. There were many more. So why vote for me? Because I feel that I have made a difference over the past three years by our accomplishments and by working closely with other members of the Town Council. With these successes behind us and by focusing on economic development, infrastructure and rail service going forward we will be able to distribute the tax burden more equally between home owners and businesses as we attract more business to Bedford. Currently Bedford home owners pay approximately 82 percent of the town and school taxes. Please vote for me on March 9 so the Town Council can continue its goal of making Bedford the best place to live work and raise a family.

Jim Scanlon

OFFICE SOUGHT: Town Council

AGE: 71

ADDRESS: 17 Jefferson Road

YEARS OF RESIDENCY: 8

EDUCATION: Fairfield University in Fairfield, Conn. BSS degree history/philosophy Secondary NYU Graduate School of Business for MBA

EMPLOYMENT: Having currently completed a successful 35-year career as a senior manager in the high-tech hardware/software industry, as worldwide vice president for sales, I ran a division of 250 people with full responsibility for revenue, profit loss and budgeting.

POLITICAL HISTORY: Vice chair of the Bedford Dog Park Committee 2009-present. Director of the Bedford Tax Payer Association 2009-present. Corporate fundraiser chair for the Bedford Village Common Development Committee 2009-present. Member of the Bedford Men’s Club 2009-present.

AFFILIATIONS: 1st lieutenant, infantry company commander, 42nd Infantry Rainbow Division. St. Elizabeth Seton Parish.

FAMILY: Married to Judy, mother of our three daughters.

ISSUES I PLAN TO TACKLE: The key issues for Bedford moving forward are the ability to reconcile the need for economic development so that the burden of the tax rate does not fall principally on individual residents. Rapidly escalading costs particularly in the school-system budgets along with necessary expenditures within the town need to be viewed and managed in a context of the ability for individuals to subsidize those investments.

VOTE FOR ME: Because I have been clear, concise and ambiguous on many positions that I have stated at both council and school-board session as well as through the Journal. I have demonstrated commitment, passion and conscience. I have learned to use both ears and one mouth in the appropriate proportions. I will prove to be for a benefit of the bedford tax payers, able to listen and hopefully implement ideologies and methods that will alleviate the burden on the individual tax payer.