Click on the links below to expand the letters and endorsements.
My friends and neighbors, I am pleased to have this opportunity to express to you my support for Chris Gittins in the upcoming election for the Planning Board. Having known Chris for over ten years, I am confident that his career experiences as a scientist and engineer, along with his perspective as a parent with young children, will make him a valuable addition to our Planning Board.
As a mother who is concerned about the effects of climate change and how it will impact my children and future generations, I like that Chris is green-minded and plans to help Bedford reduce its collective carbon footprint and take steps towards creating more renewable energy for our community. Chris supports using our zoning bylaws to motivate developers to build more energy-efficient buildings. Chris also supports the building of Accessory Dwelling Units to provide more house options for people who are often priced out of Bedford’s housing market, and he will work to support the proposed bylaw amendments to make it easier for residents to build ADUs. Chris will use his expertise to think and plan carefully about how to put into action the state’s new law requiring by-right mixed-use buildings along MBTA transit lines. He knows this will create more middle-income-affordable houses and wants to plan thoughtfully to be sure the shops and housing units will fit nicely in the already existing neighborhoods.
Chris is thoughtful, conscientious, and hardworking. He has the vision we need to lead Bedford forward in our changing world. I urge you to join me in supporting Chris Gittins in the March 13th election.
I would like to voice my strong support for Chris Gittens as a candidate for the Planning Board. Chris is a thoughtful, curious, insightful, and determined person. He welcomes the opportunity to listen, and he truly listens. He’s driven to understand all sides of an issue, and recognizes the need to balance the wishes and concerns of many when considering a particular issue.
There are many reasons why I will vote for Chris, including:
(1) He actively seeks input from people he knows and people he doesn’t know to ensure he has a full picture of the wishes and concerns of Bedford residents.
(2) Chris has taken the Bedford Comprehensive Plan to heart, knowing that it was carefully developed in collaboration with town stakeholders and driven by resident input. Additionally, he understands that there needs to be more than a document—there needs to be a plan and execution to carry out the residents’ vision of Bedford.
(3) He has clearly stated his goals if he is elected to the Planning Board:
(4) Throughout the last few years I’ve mentioned concerns I’ve had to Chris. He followed up with me without me asking or expecting him to. He will bring that follow through and tenacity to the Planning Board.
(5) Chris has deep roots in Bedford and has ingratiated himself into the community. He’s served on Bedford’s Conservation Committee and Arbor Resource Committee, participated in the resident workshops to develop Bedford’s Comprehensive Plan, and is also a Cub Scout den leader.
Chris will be an EXCELLENT member of the Planning Board, and I hope you’ll join me in voting for him on Saturday.
I support Chris Gittins for Planning Board. I’ve known Chris for over 15 years. He is thoughtful, forthright, and balanced in his consideration of the issues facing our town.
Chris has a clear vision for the vibrant, inviting space that Bedford can become, the skill to identify pragmatic paths towards key goals, and the dedication to do the hard work to actually make things happen.
I’m passionate about active transit and reducing the centrality of cars, and I know Chris will be an ally in those areas.
I don’t know Chris well. We’ve only recently met. But I already feel an affinity. For one thing, we’re both introverts making his willingness to reach out to voters like me all the more remarkable. But, more importantly, our interests in the future of Bedford are aligned.
I fully endorse Chris’ priorities surrounding housing, mobility, local business, and climate resiliency which he elaborates upon here (https://www.thebedfordcitizen.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/Candidate-Page-4-Planning-Board-GITTINS.pdf).
But, even more significant to me than the soundness of Chris’ ideas is his systematic approach to problem-solving. As Chris, himself, explains “facts, opinions, and the law must be harmonized in order to make good decisions.”
In addition to demonstrating a deep understanding of the challenges facing Bedford, Chris clearly sees how these challenges intersect and overlap with each other. For instance, one of Chris’ suggestions for addressing traffic congestion is to allow more housing to be built near retail areas so people can live closer to where they shop and eat out. Indeed, reducing the volume of vehicle traffic in this way would not only help with climate resiliency but also it would improve mobility and benefit local businesses.
Chris is a strategic thinker who loves Bedford and knows the issues. I’m confident he will be an asset to the Planning Board. I hope you’ll join me in voting for him either in person on March 13th or beforehand via absentee ballot.
Why do I think Chris Gittins is the best candidate for Planning Board?
Chris has deep roots in Bedford, with a connection that spans generations. He lives in the house he used to visit when his grandparents lived there. He watched as the charming suburban town changed over time because it’s close to major roads, the Commonwealth’s cultural center, lots of jobs – and is charming. He saw how it’s the things that make Bedford such an appealing town that also bring the development pressures that threaten to take away from that appeal. Chris wants to use his long familiarity with Bedford and his passion for finding solutions to help bring Bedford new, but proven, practices that are already working for other towns.
An important part of Chris’s vision is to welcome a diversity of residents into a diversity of housing while keeping our beautiful tree-lined streets safe for walking and bicycling, and to keep what open space we have. Also, to encourage a vibrant, attractive commercial and retail business community that generates tax revenue and caters to residents, because Bedford’s zoning has the right size and kind of spaces for local stores. As well as to see re-development of underused commercial space and climate resiliency built into all new development.
Chris has many years of service on Bedford committees inside and out of town government. He’s smart, energetic, and a very strong believer in open, responsive government. Not to mention, he’s a great husband and dad.
These are some of the reasons I’m going to vote for Chris and why I think it’s important to ask you, too, to.
I’m writing to express my support for Chris Gittins for Planning Board. Chris has a long, deep connection to Bedford and his top priorities serve the best interests of current and future Bedford residents.
Chris’ priorities are: expanding middle-income housing options, making it easier to walk and bike around Bedford, supporting local business, promoting redevelopment, and incorporating climate resilience. Taken together, these 5 priorities express a vision for Bedford that I wholeheartedly support. It’s a vision of a Bedford where people can afford to live, supported by a robust commercial tax base, and that addresses climate change head-on for a healthy, sustainable future.
Chris will be a thoughtful, committed member of the Planning Board who will serve Bedford’s best interests. I encourage you to vote for Chis Gittins for Planning Board on March 13.
I am a former member of the Bedford Planning Board (13 Years) and am writing in support of Chris Gittins, a candidate for that Board in the upcoming election. I served briefly with Chris on the Bedford Conservation Commission and quickly realized that Chris brings with his commitment to the Town an acute sense of sorting through the obvious in order to focus on the underlying truth of matters before the Commission. This is a quality I believe is vital to the responsibilities of a Planning Board member and therefore I support Chris unreservedly.
It also gives me great pleasure to do this as I have known Chris’ Dad for decades and I see in Chris much of what I respected about his Dad.
I am supporting Chris Gittins for Planning Board at the Town Election, Saturday, March 13.
I have known Chris for many years. He has consistently served in a leadership role in the community. I have observed his effectiveness as a member of the First Parish Church, the Democratic Town Committee, and the Conservation Commission. He is a good listener and seeks input from others before making decisions.
Chris understands Town Government, knows how it works, and will be an excellent addition to the Planning Board!
I encourage your readers to vote at the Town Election on Saturday, March 13, and to vote for Chris Gittins for Planning Board.