Bedford Town Clerk Q&A: Simone Shapiro

Simone Shapiro is the Democratic candidate for Bedford Town Clerk and is an attorney. This interview is edited for formatting:

Patch: Why are you running?
Shapiro: I have lived here for 22 years, raising my children and enjoying the wonderful aspects of country life.  I want to contribute to the running of the Town. I have been a trial attorney for over 25 years representing individual clients through  lawsuits against various private and public entities. My experience will translate into becoming a helpful advocate for the Town residents. 

Patch: How well do you feel the town's records management is being handled? What would you like to change, if anything?
Shapiro: The only glimpse I have into the daily mechanism of Town Clerk's office is the website which everyone agrees is a dinosaur. If elected I would look forward to having a new website and reviewing, with fresh eyes and a fresh approach, the management system currently employed by the Clerk's office. Record management is the key task of the Clerk's office, not only to keep orderly account of the records for current scrutiny and referral but also to preserve the history of our town through it's records. One initial key step is to systematically move toward placing all appropriate Town records on the website as soon as they are available. 

Patch: Would you like to see the town's online outreach presence expand, such use of Twitter or Facebook?
Shapiro: When the new website is installed I would like t have a blog so that I could reach out to the residents. Twitter and Facebook are also good modern ideas. 
I also thought that, perhaps, I could have a column in the local paper ( yes, Tom this is a hint! ) called "What's happening in the Town Clerk's office" as another means to communicate with the residents. One of my main notions is to connect residents with each other to work on projects, enhance ideas and work together on what would benefit the town. 

Patch: Some of Bedford's neighboring communities have appointed clerks instead of through elections. What are the merits of having an elected town clerk versus an appointed one?
Shapiro: Being Town Clerk is not a job -  it's an elected position. There is a difference. Being elected by the Town residents is a great honor and thereby carries an important fiduciary duty to work very hard in the execution of that duty. As an elected official the Town Clerk's office will be responsive to the needs of the people, to the satisfaction of the people. 

Patch: The town faces a tough fiscal future, according to a budget projection published in August that forecasts deficits for the coming years. If the town board needs to make cuts, are you concerned that this could impact the town clerk's office?
Shapiro: I will always work under the general idea that streamlining the costs of any government office is alway efficient and desirable.