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What Bedford Can Learn From DOGE

Writer's picture: Mike PalladinoMike Palladino

No, I’m not talking about the meme cryptocurrency featuring an adorable Shiba Inu, but rather the newly established Department of Government Efficiency. On paper, it’s a noble concept - applying a private-sector mindset to tackle the inefficiencies of government operations. Whether it delivers remains to be seen, but I applaud the ambition and look forward to seeing how it takes shape.


Frankly, I’d love to see elements of this approach implemented here in Bedford, where fiscal responsibility, transparency and efficiency feel more like buzzwords than actual priorities. Earlier this month, I shared my experience of being removed from a town committee and pointed out the inefficiency of requiring dedicated volunteers - already serving effectively - to reinterview for advisory positions that would otherwise remain vacant. In a town where most households are already juggling dual incomes, it’s remarkable that so many residents still find time to volunteer. Why not celebrate and facilitate this civic commitment instead of imposing needless obstacles? And even more puzzling: how do our limited slate of elected officials find the time to micromanage such processes when far more pressing issues demand their attention?


Like clockwork every November, these same officials campaign on promises of hamlet vitality and fiscal responsibility - values we all support. Yet their actions between elections tell a different story. Case in point: their recent decision to renew the Bedford Promoter’s contract for another two years. The same outsourced consultant who has already been on the payroll for two years with no tangible results to show for their efforts. Nor has the Town Board outlined any deliverables that they expect to see from that paid position.


Let's put this into perspective: Bedford will have spent north of $160K of taxpayer funds outsourcing hamlet vitality to someone whose results are - at best - unknown, while our elected officials spend their time reinterviewing dedicated volunteers?


Now that I think about it, a dog-inspired digital coin suddenly doesn’t sound so absurd after all!


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