Bethlehem’s Write-In Councilman

The incumbent moved away too, and then there was no one.

Except for the former mayor, of course.

But not a single resident of Bethlehem’s 5^th Ward filed to represent, so Tim Bishop launched a write-in campaign. And the former mayor won convincingly 150-some votes to zero.

Bishop served two, two-year terms as the village’s mayor, but he opted not to run for a third term because of a promise to his family. A council position, however, is different.

“For many years, Ward 5 was very well represented by Councilperson Mark Saseen. Mark did a wonderful job in keeping the needs of the residents under his representation forefront in the minds of the administration of the village,” Bishop explained. “Unfortunately, Mark moved out of the ward. When no one filed for the seat, I felt it was incumbent on me to make sure the residents of Ward 5 benefitted from the same style of representation they have become accustomed to.

“I was surprised about the number of votes I received,” he admitted. “I had done some social media campaigning as other forms were discouraged because of the pandemic. I think the word travelled pretty quickly across social channels, and I was very humbled to receive the write-in votes that I did.”

A Mayor’s Perspective

No one will deny that Bishop was a hands-on mayor whether it was a water pipe break, snowy weather, or anything else that prompted a response from the village’s crews. This role is a bit different.

“I’ll say that my four years as mayor of the village were filled with some of the greatest experiences of my life. As a councilperson, your job is not only to advocate for your ward to the administration of the village but to keep the residents in your ward apprised of what the administration is doing as a whole,” he said. “My time as mayor gave me a better understanding of what needs to be communicated to residents so that they can feel more involved in their community, and I hope want to get involved.

“I think also, the residents I now represent know me. They have spoken with me before, “Bishop added. “They know I am approachable and willing to work to address their concerns. Many of them have continued to call or text me over the past year.”

And there are issues Bishop has recognized already.

“Many of the streets in our Ward are quickly deteriorating. That needs addressed,” he said. “ We have some stormwater runoff issues and some landslips that threaten the entrance of Westgate that if we don’t handle soon, someone may get hurt.

“The current traffic on 29th street hill coming from Elm Grove is also an issue,” Bishop insisted. “We are blessed that a new business is opening in our village, but with that, there will certainly be some traffic concerns for residents to navigate.”

Ward 5

There are parts of Chapel Road in addition to Village Drive, Scarlett Drive, Peach Lane, Evergreen Lane, Hickory Lane, Westgate Drive, Greentree Road, Northcrest Court, and Woodcrest Court.

That’s the ward, and residents along those roadways allowed a write-in to represent.

“Unfortunately, I believe complacency is the main factor. People just don’t want to be as involved as they were in the past,” Bishop said. “Couple that with the fact that people are more busy than they have ever been, and add in a pandemic, so it’s understandable that people would not want to be involved.

“I think another reason is just the nature of politics. Local races have become more like the state and national races,” he continued. “There are much more mud-slinging and divisiveness than there ever were. That turns people off from wanting to better their communities. I guess I’m just used to it.”

He learned his lesson during his year off. Bishop wishes to be involved.

“This council term is 2 years. It’s difficult to see that far into the future and know what plans will be. I found that I really missed being involved with local government for the year I was away, especially as mayor,” he said. “That probably means I’ll try to remain involved two years from now, but I n what capacity remains to be decided.

“Had I not filed to be a write-in candidate, the mayor and council would have appointed someone to fill the position at the beginning of the term (July 1). I do not know who would have been selected, but it’s possible that they may not have felt invested in the role or that they were just selected as a ‘warm body,’ so that there would not have been an empty seat,” Bishop said. “I did not want to see that happen. That is not in the best interest of the ward or the village.”