INTRODUCTION
Kathleen Bemiss and Scott, her husband of 27 years, have been residents of Bedford since 1996. They have three children; William, Madeline, and Sophia. William is pursuing his passion in the music industry, Madeline has her Master’s in education and is teaching 9th and 10th grade English in Georgia – while pursuing her PhD in Educational Curriculum Development. Her husband, 1st Lieutenant Grant Levasseur, is a West Point Graduate and is flying Blackhawks for the United States Army in Savannah. Sophia is finishing up her last year at Baylor University in Texas, majoring in Psychology and Pre-Med.
Kathleen’s first step into town government came when she and Scott purchased their new home. They realized that they needed to apply for a variance because the far corner of the garage had been built (in 1983) five feet too close to the property line. She took it upon herself to understand how the zoning and planning boards worked and became involved by attending meetings in person and watching on BC-TV. Often, residents contacted her to learn about the processes and procedures of the various boards, or the outcome of some hot-button topic.
Like many parents, Kathleen volunteered in the schools as room-mother and chaperone on field trips. As her children became older, their needs changed. Kathleen introduced them to their civic duty by encouraging them to participate in local government. One such example is when Kathleen needed to be in Virginia to care for an aunt with a brain tumor. Madeline attended the Town Council Meeting in her place. As a high school junior, Madeline gave a 5-minute presentation complete with handouts – about a topic that was on the agenda.
Environmental issues have always been a concern to Kathleen. She lives adjacent to the Magazine Street Wetlands, and as such, volunteered to be on the wetlands subcommittee of the Conservation Commission. Most currently, she has agreed to participate on the Composting Committee. In this role, she hopes to help increase resident participation in the composting committee, thereby decreasing landfill use and decreasing cost to the residents.
Kathleen was instrumental in enacting zoning to limit the visual blight of telecommunication towers in residential areas. Kathleen heard the voices of neighbors from all areas of town, including Tirrell Road, Greenfield Farms, and her own neighborhood. As a result, a telecommunications tower (cell tower) cannot be built next door to your house!
Kathleen is committed to understanding the background of all subjects in order to make informed decisions. At the outbreak of Covid-19, Kathleen became a certified Covid-19 tracer from Johns Hopkins University. With that knowledge, she was able to assist friends, relatives, and colleagues understand the transmission of the disease, and provide facts instead of myths. This alleviated many fears. As part of the Bedford Sewing Battalion, Kathleen was able to sew well over 2000 masks for our health care workers. Although masks are no longer needed, she is working on sewing 500 cross-body bags and wristlets for our hospital workers.
Kathleen is a fiscal conservative who believes that we should never spend more than we have in the bank. She believes that we need to encourage civic (and civil) participation at all levels of government. She will pledge to represent all the taxpayers of Bedford and will be open to all communication.
Kathleen asks for your vote on March 8, 2022 (at the Bedford High School from 7:00 AM – 7:00 PM).
Kathleen’s Education:
- PhD. Criminal Justice, Liberty University, Lynchburg, VA – anticipated completion date 2024
- M.S. Communication Disorders, College of Saint Rose, Albany, New York
- B.S. Communication Disorders, University of New Hampshire, Durham
Kathleen’s Profession:
- Certified Speech-Language Pathologist specializing in head and neck cancer, dysphagia, and complex developmental disorders. Licensed in Massachusetts.
- Certified Covid tracer, Johns Hopkins University
Kathleen’s Organizations/Affiliations/Political Experience:
- 2005-2007 (approx) – Wetlands Subcommittee of the Conservation Commission, Town of Bedford, NH
- 2018-present – Telecommunication Committee, Town of Bedford, NH
- 2020-present – Bedford Sewing Battalion
- 2022-present – Composting Committee, Town of Bedford, NH