3 contested ’12 races for town positions

Friday, February 10, 2012

Thirteen people have filed to run for 11 open offices in Bedford this year, but only three races will be contested.

The filing period for the open positions closed at 5 p.m. Friday, Feb. 3.

Six positions open on the Town Council and the School Board will be uncontested races. Current councilors Paul Roy and Jason Carrier will each step down in March.

Roy was voted onto the council in 2006 and Carrier has served since 2011.

The contested races are as follows:

• Walter Gallo and Melinde Lutz Byrne are battling for a three-year term serving as a Library Trustee.

• Brian Shaughnessy and current Town Moderator Ryk Bullock are after the two-year town moderator seat.

• Becki Kuhns and Susan Fahey put their name in the ring to serve as a supervisor of the checklist, a six-year term position.

The candidates running in uncontested races are as follows:

• Mac McMahan, William Jean and current Town Councilor Norm Longval have put their names in for three, three-year term positions serving on Bedford’s town council.

• Current Town Councilor Ken Peterson also saw no challengers file to fill an open council seat for a one-year term.

Unless a write-in candidate defeats one of the council hopefuls at the polls, McMahan and Jean will join current council Chairman Bill Dermody, Vice Chairman Chris Bandazian and Councilor Jim Scanlon along with Longval and Peterson in March.

• Tom Sweeney was the only person to file for the three-year long job of Trustee of the Trust Funds.

• Bedford School Board Chairman Terry Wolf and Vice Chairman Cindy Chagnon likely will be back on the board this year, as each face uncontested races for the board’s two open three-year term seats.

No candidates filed to run for the open three-year seat for school district clerk.

Elections for town offices will be March 13 from 7 a.m.-7 p.m. at Bedford High School.

Maryalice Gill can be reached at 594-6490 or mgill@nashuatelegraph.com.

Follow Gill on Twitter (@Telegraph_MAG).