Town Of Bedford: Town Caucus Updated Protocols- January 4, 2022

Press release from the Town of Bedford:

January 3, 2022 - 11:33am

The 2022 Town Caucus will be held on Tuesday, January 4 at 7:00 p.m. in the Reed Room in Town Hall.

In the name of COVID safety, there will be no nominating speeches, and all candidate speeches will be limited to two (2) minutes. Candidate speakers will be given a one minute and a 15 second remaining warning, and a bell that will ring when the two minutes are up. For those who had prepared nominating speeches and would like copies to be shared publicly, your speech can be forwarded to Julie Turner at the Bedford Citizen who has graciously offered to publish them following the Caucus.Attendees are reminded that per the order of the Bedford Board of Health, face coverings are required for everyone attending the Caucus, except where an individual is unable due to a medical condition or disability. There will be extra masks available at check-in, along with hand sanitizer.Per CDC guidelines and industry best practices, the Bedford Facilities Department has implemented enhanced ventilation in all school and town buildings, including high efficiency filters and longer hours of operation for all HVAC equipment. The outside door in the Reed Room will be open for enhanced air circulation.The quorum for the Town Caucus is twenty-five (25) registered voters.

Registered Voters will be seated separately from non-voters.

Caucus Rules comply with MGL C. 53 Section 121.

The Town Charter requires that the Town hold an in-person Town Caucus each January. Last year, thanks to legislative relief and a declared State of Emergency, the Town was able to cancel the Caucus. This year, the Town was unable to cancel the meeting. Remote participation is not a legally available option for the Town Caucus.

Candidates for elected office also have the option to qualify for the ballot via collecting signatures. Please see the Town Clerk's website or call the Town Clerk's office at 781-275-0083 for more information.

This press release was produced by the Town of Bedford. The views expressed here are the author’s own.