Candidate Profile: Bobbi Bittker For Bedford Town Board

BEDFORD, NY — Election season 2023 is here and there are plenty of races with candidates eager to serve in elected office.

Patch asked candidates to answer questions about their campaigns and will be publishing candidate profiles as Election Day draws near.

Name: Bobbi M. Bittker

Age: 49

Hometown:

Bedford Hills, NY

Running for which office:

Town Board

Education:

BA, Sociology, Brandeis University
JD, Quinnipiac University School of Law
candidate for MA Holocaust and Genocide Studies, Gratz College

Political experience:

I am completing my first four-year term on the Bedford Town Board.

Career/Leadership Accomplishments:

Current:

• American Bar Association, Task Force to Combat Antisemitism
• ABA Civil Rights and Social Justice Council Member
• ABA Human Rights Magazine. Editorial Board
• Girl Scout Silver Award Mentor
• ADL Westchester
• Westchester County Bar Association
• Bedford Hills Womans Club
• TEDx Speaker, April 2023, “You Have the Power to Prevent Genocide”

Former:

• Bedford Community Theatre Board Member/Co-Producer;
• Girl Scout Cadette Troop Leader;
• Fox Lane Middle School Association Vice President;
• Bet Torah Synagogue: Sisterhood President, Youth Commission Chair, Nursery School Board Chair, Executive Board Member, Synagogue Board Member
• Mazzoni Center, Philadelphia, Board Member & Health Advisory Committee Member;
• KBHVAC, EMT.

Family:

I live in Bedford Hills with my husband Aric where we raised our three children.

Campaign website:
https://www.bedforddems2023.com/

Why are you seeking this office?

Four years ago I sought this office to improve the quality of life in Bedford through problem solving and community-building. I am running for re-election to continue the work we have successfully started. We’ve strengthened town infrastructure, finances and economic vitality. We’ve improved communications, engagement and transparency. We are expanding options for market rate and affordable housing, and we have identified and are fulfilling the needs of residents that were not previously being met. But there is more work to be done. I have a three decade long history in this town and I care deeply about this community.

What are the major differences between you and the other candidate(s) seeking this post?

I have a solid record of accomplishments both in this role and prior to winning this seat. My outlook is positive and when I decided to get involved in the community, I stepped up to offer solutions and solve problems. I’ve built partnerships with people in the business community, nonprofits, and officials across county, state, and federal government to put ideas into action. I was elected to solve problems, not to grandstand, and I intend to stay focused on what our residents need: housing, public safety and economic vibrancy.

What is the single most pressing issue facing your constituents and what do you intend to do about it?

While numerous issues compete for our attention, many of them fall under the heading of affordability.

Building a vibrant economy will strengthen the tax base, and this requires a partnership between businesses and local organizations, solid infrastructure, and facilities that attract visitors to town. We are connecting with businesses throughout town to meet their needs, and consistently attracting new businesses to Bedford. We have been supporting these efforts by improving cell service, upgrading sidewalks and sewers, and we will soon break ground on the brand new inclusive playground. I was also instrumental in securing a $250,000 Downtown Improvement Grant which will provide major economic revitalization support for the Bedford Hills hamlet.

I work closely with the Town Comptroller to develop cost-saving policies, and review town expenses bi-weekly to evaluate spending in every department. My priority is ensuring that we are cautious with your tax dollars so we deliver the best services for your money. My Town Board colleagues and I adopted tax exemptions for seniors, veterans, people with disabilities, and first responders.

Strong financial management is the foundation of our ability to provide the high quality services our residents deserve. We are proactively investing in infrastructure like wireless facilities, roads and sewers which bolster public safety and economic vitality; and we continue to adopt policies and programs that help residents with affordability like the aforementioned tax exemptions and our partnership with Habitat for Humanity that provides grants to moderate income residents for Alternate Dwelling Units.

How would you address the affordable housing issue in the community?

We are addressing and will continue to address affordable housing in Bedford. First, we work closely with Blue Mountain Development Corp., the Town’s non-profit whose mission is to improve and increase Bedford’s affordable housing stock by renovating and developing units. We have also been pursuing innovative solutions outside of new development. The Town’s partnership with Habitat for Humanity provides grants for moderate income homeowners to develop ADUs on their property, and we are working with the Pace University Land Use Law Center to explore further options in Bedford.

How would you protect the drinking water in the community?

We have already been faced with issues concerning PFAS in the water supply as well as failing septic systems. To fix the PFAS, we secured significant grant funding to remediate where it was detected, and just joined a class action suit to hold corporations responsible for the contamination. We also successfully secured large grants to build the first sewers in the Town of Bedford. We are beginning phase two of the Bedford Hills-Katonah sewer project, and just formed the new Bedford Village sewer district, not only improving water quality and increasing the supply, but also improving economic vitality.

We will continue to pursue projects like our July acquisition of 13 acres on Reyburn Rd in Katonah, a joint project of Bedford’s Open Space Acquisition Committee and the Westchester Land Trust, that provide a buffer for the water supply. It’s also crucial that we continue to enforce the Town’s Freshwater Wetlands Protection Law as wetlands play a critical role in maintaining and improving water quality.

What other issues do you intend to address during your campaign?

A major priority of mine has been and continues to be emergency management, increasingly important due to more frequent storms and the changing climate. We created the Comprehensive Emergency Management Planning Task Force to evaluate our needs and are in the early stages of developing the Office Of Emergency Management to coordinate services. We are working proactively to improve disaster response, improve engagement with the utility companies, and partner with our first responder agencies. We recently unveiled a new app that communicates road closures, downed trees and other hazards both inter-agency and to residents. This project was thanks to the efforts of Lt. Sikoryak and Dispatcher Dominick Bueti who partnered with Westchester County Shared Services who developed this application at no cost to the Town.

What accomplishments in your past would you cite as evidence you can handle this job?

The best evidence that I can do this job well is my strong record of accomplishments over the last four years. Our team put together a list of over 100 of them at bedforddems2023.com/news/accomplishments.

What is the best advice anyone ever gave you?

Always give others the credit and appreciation they deserve. None of us get to where we are on our own, but many people behave differently. I have accomplished a lot and I am proud of the work I’ve done. But I am grateful for the support I’ve gotten from family, friends, staff, colleagues, volunteers, and everyone else who has collaborated on these efforts.

Is there anything else you would like voters to know about yourself and your positions?

My philosophy is simple and it can be applied to any circumstance: show up, work hard, and leave things better than you found them. I’ve done that and I will continue to do that as long as I have the privilege of serving.