Former Windsor Selectman Making Another Run for OfficeBy Noah Hoffenberg
iBerkshires Correspondent
05:38AM / Thursday, March 19, 2009
WINDSOR, Mass. — A retired state police captain, former selectman and current chairman of the Zoning Board of Appeals, Robert Bradley is by no means finished with public service just yet.
Bradley, 62, of High Street Hill Road, is collecting signatures to make another run for selectman, a post he held in Windsor between 2004 and 2007. He made an unsuccessful bid in 2007 in a three-way race against longtime selectman Charles Sturtevant and newcomer Steve Markowitz. Markowitz won the seat that he'll hold until May 2010.
This May, Bradley will face challenger Peter Fusini, of 1128 Main Dalton Road, for the seat being vacated by Barbara Giusti, a two-term selectman who decided against running.
In the meantime since the loss, Bradley has been serving as chairman of the ZBA; he's two years into his second three-year term. He's also the Windsor representative and chairman of the Northern Berkshire Solid Waste Management District. Bradley also filled a vacancy for one year on the town Finance Committee.
"I feel that if you're not happy with something in your town or state, it's incumbent upon you to vote or run for office and try to change it," said Bradley on Saturday. "I am one that believes that everyone should be accountable, that there should checks and balances."
Bradley should know: He was part of the state police team assigned to the Berkshire district attorney's office that helped take down an embezzler, former Berkshire County Treasurer JoAnn H. Wadsworth.
Perhaps not quite as tough as police work, Bradley still sees big challenges ahead in guiding Windsor through the economic downturn.
"There's some difficult decisions that may have to be made if you continue to fund at the rate [we are]," said Bradley. "These things have to be done, not on emotion, but on logic and reasonableness. It's a lot of work, and it's a lot of responsibility, but it needs to be done, and it needs to be done in a manner that's fair to all residents in town, objectively and fairly."
As for Bradley's goals, he's concerned that the town's fiscal health is maintained, even during tight times. He said, if elected, he'll do his best to keep his decisions and that of the Board of Selectmen "equitable and fair."
He said he doesn't expect it to be a fun time to be a selectman, though. "I expect it to be a difficult period." Bradley is a registered independent, and ideologically he's a "fiscal conservative, more to the right. I wouldn't do well in Amherst, Cambridge or in Northampton."
He started working for the state police in 1971, achieving the rank of captain, and retired in June 2003. After leaving the Lee barracks early in his police career, Bradley was stationed out of Framingham, acting as the liaison for central artery project for 10 years in Boston, ran research and development for state police for about seven years and was a board member of the Intelligent Transportation Systems of Massachusetts.
He's lived in Windsor since December 1976, commuting to Framingham for work, but returning every night to the town that he loves. Bradley's been married to his wife, Ruth, since 1973, and they have two grown sons who have moved from the area.
March 23 is the deadline to turn in nomination papers to run for office in Windsor. Papers can be picked up at the town clerk's office on Monday evenings from 5 to 7 p.m. or by calling Town Clerk Evelyn Bird at 413-684-3977.
The town election will be held on May 11 from noon to 8 p.m., and town meeting will be held May 4 at 7:30 p.m. at Town Hall. |
