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Select Board — April 28, 2026

The meeting moved from routine business to tension regarding police leadership selection and a personal defense of honesty regarding Town Meeting conduct.

Date Tuesday, April 28, 2026 Duration 1.2h Speakers 10 Decisions 11 Mildly contentious
▶ Video

Public ⁠impact

Issues from this meeting with documented community impact.
01

Appointment of Chief of Police

Leadership change in the primary public safety department Affected: All residents of Bedford
safety change
02

Water Main Replacement Project

$825,642.34 contract for infrastructure replacement Affected: Residents on or near Springs Road
other high impact

Decisions ⁠logged

Every recorded vote, with timestamps and dissents.
Approve the appointment of Andrew Amendola to the position of Chief of Police effective June 8th with a three-year contract.
The appointment is subject to the start date of June 8th and contract terms consistent with other grade 10 staff.
4-1-0
Open the public hearing for Springs Road Work Order 24030753.
Relates to installing 15 feet of conduit.
5-0-0
Close the public hearing for Springs Road Work Order 24030753.
Relates to installing 15 feet of conduit.
5-0-0
Approve the petition to construct utility at 329 Springs Road for Eversource.
Based on plans dated January 28th, 2026.
5-0-0
Approve purchase of one 22,000 GVWR dump truck with plow and spreader from Gervais Ford.
Net bid price of $63,041.
5-0-0
Approve purchase of one 22,000 GVWR 4x4 utility body with crane and plow from Gervais Ford.
Net bid price of $148,132.
5-0-0
Approve purchase of one rotary mower from MTE Equipment Solutions.
Net bid price of $134,400.
5-0-0
Approve purchase of one Loader from C.N. Wood.
Net bid price of $213,264.
5-0-0
Approve contract with Commonwealth Construction and Utilities for water main project.
Amount of $825,642.34; authorizes Town Manager to sign.
5-0-0
Approve the Consent Agenda.
Includes various administrative and departmental items.
5-0-0
Motion to adjourn the meeting.
The motion was made by a speaker and seconded by Mr. Hannigan and Mr. Mortensen.
Passed unanimously (4-0)

Topics ⁠discussed

Click a topic to expand quotes and full context.
▶ 07:38 Appointment of Chief of Police

The board discussed the recommendation to appoint Andrew Amendola as the new Chief of Police, reviewing his background and the selection process used by Public Safety Consultants, LLC.

Speakers: Unidentified speaker
▶ 19:29 Eversource Grant of Location

A public hearing regarding a request from Eversource to install approximately 15 feet of underground conduit at 329 Springs Road for a new residential construction.

Speakers: Unidentified speaker
▶ 38:14 DPW Equipment Purchases

The board reviewed and voted on several equipment replacements for the Department of Public Works, including a dump truck, a utility body truck with a crane, a rotary mower, and a loader.

Speakers: Unidentified speaker
▶ 00:00 Water Main Replacement Project

Discussion of the 2026 water main replacement project on Springs Road, highlighting the use of in-house engineering to reduce design costs.

Speakers: Unidentified speaker
▶ 37:59 Town Meeting Debrief

A discussion regarding the efficiency and engagement levels of the recent Town Meeting, including suggestions for better moderation and handling repetitive questions.

Speakers: Unidentified speaker
▶ 57:48 Town Manager's Report

Updates on department awards, personnel milestones, and upcoming town events.

Speakers: Unidentified speaker
▶ 63:00 Liaison Reports

Reports from the Community Media Committee, Fire Station Building Committee, Commission on Disability, and Cultural Commission.

Speakers: Unidentified speaker
▶ 63:41 Fire Station Building Update

The Fire Station Building Committee reported that construction is progressing swiftly; the building is currently a shell and will eventually include conference rooms, a library, and a training tower.

Speakers: Unidentified speaker
▶ 66:08 Commission on Disability Report

The Commission discussed a new online form for resident inquiries, a proposed $30,000 grant for library website accessibility, and strategies for providing virtual options for boards and committees.

Speakers: Unidentified speaker
▶ 67:03 Cultural Commission Update

The commission is preparing for a grant recipient reception on June 6 and is drafting a community survey to guide future BCC grant allocations.

Speakers: Unidentified speaker
▶ 68:43 Hanscom Airfield Advisory Council (HFAC) Report

HFAC is seeking information from Massport regarding ICE resuming flights at Hanscom Airfield, focusing on legal compliance, safety, and resident concerns.

Speakers: Unidentified speaker
▶ 70:15 Comprehensive Plan Sessions

Public sessions are ongoing to determine which elements to retain in the town's comprehensive plan; the process continues through August.

Speakers: Unidentified speaker
▶ 70:52 Housing and Finance Committee Updates

Reports included a decrease in town vacancies, the potential merger of the housing partnership and housing trust, and new applicants for the Finance Committee.

Speakers: Unidentified speaker

Controversy & ⁠dissent

Where the board, the community, or the agenda diverged.

Potentially controversial issues

01

Appointment of Chief of Police

The selection of a new Police Chief is a high-stakes decision regarding public safety. There was expressed concern regarding the transparency of the selection process used by the consultant.
Board position: The board moved to approve the appointment of Andrew Amendola.
Internal dissent
The vote was 4-1, indicating one member was opposed to the appointment or the specific terms.
medium concern
02

Police Chief Selection Process Transparency

A board member explicitly called for more transparency from the consulting firm to 'allay a lot of angst' regarding the process.
Board position: A desire for more open detailing of selection steps.
medium concern
03

Hanscom Airfield ICE Flights

The resumption of ICE flights at Hanscom Airfield involves legal compliance, safety, and significant resident concerns.
Board position: The HFAC is actively seeking information from Massport to address these concerns.
medium concern

Split votes

Appointment of Andrew Amendola to the position of Chief of Police
4-1-0

Community vs. board tension

Action ⁠items

Who owes what, by when.
Provide three new quotes for voting clickers (rental and purchase) for the Special Town Meeting.
Assigned: Town Manager · Due: End of May
Advertise the position for the Code Enforcement interim/permanent director role.
Assigned: Town Manager/Staff · Due: Starting next month
Consider attending the CAC meeting next Wednesday.
Assigned: Select Board Members · Due: Next Wednesday
Attend Memorial Day festivities.
Assigned: Select Board Members · Due: Memorial Day

Notable ⁠statements

I would like to see a situation where we had PSC come up here and just detail openly the specific steps... I think that would allay a lot of angst about this. — Unidentified speaker · Expressing a desire for more transparency in the Police Chief selection process. ▶ 14:29
I reject any contention that I have not been scrupulously honest. — Unidentified speaker · A matter of personal privilege regarding accusations of misrepresenting information during Town Meeting. ▶ 55:48
Any board or committee should at least consider having a virtual option. — Unidentified speaker · Discussing accessibility strategies from the Commission on Disability meeting. ▶ 67:33
It would be nice if the Select Board could offer to help one time maybe in the fall [with the Rotary community dinner]. — Unidentified speaker · Commenting on the success of a recent community dinner held by the Rotary. ▶ 72:00
The finance committee did not have enough time to prepare for the town meeting. — Ben Thomas (via SPEAKER_06) · Liaison report regarding comments from the Finance Committee Chair. ▶ 74:23

Member ⁠positions

1 issues · 0 explicit · 0 inferred
Present
Motion to adjourn the meeting YES ✓
Present
Motion to adjourn the meeting YES ✓

Positions marked ~ are inferred from context and may not reflect the member's explicitly stated position.

Public ⁠comment

What residents said — verbatim, with timestamps.
No public comments were identified in this meeting.

Accountability ⁠flags

Documented procedural gaps. Each item links to its source.

Agenda items not discussed

Topics discussed — not on agenda

Transcript vs. official minutes

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Report composed by gemma-4-26b, claude-opus-4-6 · analyzed 2026-04-28.