Bill
Moonan of 18 Crescent Avenue has announced his candidacy for re-election as a
Bedford Selectman. He and his wife,
former State Senator Carol Amick, have lived in Bedford for 43 years. They have two grown children.Since his first election as Selectman, Moonan’s primary goals
have been to identify creative solutions for Bedford’s fiscal responsibilities
and challenges, and to protect Bedford’s historic and small-town
character.
To realize
the first goal, he has attended almost every Finance Committee and Capital
Expenditures Committee (CapEx) meeting held since he was first elected nine
years ago (he is the Selectman-member of CapEx) to offer his views as a retired
financial officer in discussions about raising or expending funds. He poses similar questions at Selectmen’s
meetings “to ensure that fellow decision-makers pause to consider the impact
their decisions have on taxpayers and the wisdom of proceeding with a project
in its proposed form or schedule before taking action,” Moonan said.
Working on his second major goal – to protect Bedford’s
historic and small-town character, Moonan evaluates Town plans and objectives
from those perspectives. During a
previous term as Selectman, he chaired the Town’s Ad Hoc Historical Museum
Study Committee, created to investigate potential Bedford History Museum
locations. Using the Study Committee’s
recommendations, he led the Selectmen through a process of identifying Old Town
Hall as the most appropriate site for such a museum. His next step involves negotiations with the
Bedford Historical Society to run the museum on behalf of the Town.
For
several years, Selectman Moonan has worked with the Town’s Economic Development
Coordinator and stakeholders to establish
a Bedford Cultural District. The
proposed district would encourage tourism and economic activity in a designated
area encompassing historic, artistic and other cultural sites and venues. “We have received an initial response of
support from the State, and hope to get the new Cultural District recognized in
the fall, which would qualify it for state grant
money,” Moonan said.
Selectman Moonan’s belief in government transparency led
him to advocate for televising the Selectmen’s meetings – which is now
done. He also promoted, and led the Selectmen
to approve, a new Remote Participation Policy allowing the Town’s elected and
appointed committee members to participate in meetings, even if they are
out-of-town. This new policy makes it
easier for residents who travel in their jobs to volunteer on Town committees
and assures that all points of view will be available as governmental bodies
make decisions.
Moonan also is a member of Bedford’s Historic District
Commission and a director of the Bedford Housing Authority and Town Center,
Inc. His liaison responsibilities as a
Selectman include attending meetings of and counseling the Depot Park Advisory
Committee, Bedford Council on Aging, Community Media Committee, Bedford Chamber
of Commerce, and the Fiscal Planning and Coordinating Committee, in addition to
the Finance Committee and CapEx.
Moonan's entry into public service as a volunteer began 39 years ago, when he was appointed by Governor Ed King as
the “state appointee” to the Bedford Housing Authority (BHA). He has been reappointed to this position by
every Democratic and Republican Governor since then, and served as Chairman of
the BHA’s Board of Commissioners for 26 of those 39 years. In that capacity, Moonan has worked to ensure
the proper maintenance and management of 125 units of state-subsidized
low-income housing in Bedford.
As a condition of Moonan
serving as both an elected Selectman and on the Bedford Housing Authority, he does
not accept the annual state stipend paid to Authority Commissioners.
Moonan’s service on the Town Center, Inc. Board resulted from an idea he conceived 38 years ago -- to save the closed and
vandalized old Union School and convert it into a vibrant Town Center for use
by community organizations. In 1981, he
successfully convinced Town Meeting to appropriate funds to rehab the old
school, whose yellow wooden structure was built in 1881, and then helped establish
the non-profit TCI to manage the building.
Moonan also served on the design committee for the most recent renovations
and new addition to Town Center that added the entire back wing now used by the
Council on Aging, hundreds of Bedford seniors, and other local
organizations.
Moonan’s appreciation of
history serves him well as a member of the Bedford Historical Society and the
Bedford Minuteman Company. He also
serves as a Director and member of the Management Committee of the Charles River Museum of Industry and Innovation in
Waltham, where at one point in his career, he owned and operated the nation’s
oldest bird feeder company.
A
graduate of Yale and the Harvard Business School, he served as financial
officer for both large and small corporations before his retirement.