Behind the Headlines

By Danielle Portteus

I spent the better portion of last night at Bedford Township Hall. The majority of the candidates for township trustee attended.
Township Supervisor Walt Wilburn and Treasurer Sherri Meyer also came to join in on the wait for returns, even though they both ran unopposed.
The contested candidates, for the most part, were poised and patient.
Walt, however, looked like a nervous wreck. He told me he was on edge because each of those running were his friends.
I guess I didn’t really believe him because, after all, he is a politician. But, after the final numbers were tallied, Walt hugged at least four of the candidates who were still in the main hallway of the government center.
One of the best moments was when he went up to Tom Covrett, who lost his bid for trustee. Mr. Covrett, who is serving his last year on the planning commission, has been actively seeking the seat. He really wanted to continue serving the citizens of Bedford Township.
Walt embraced Tom for what seemed like forever, but was really like a couple of seconds. He leaned over to Tom and told him he was disappointed he wasn’t elected, but encouraged him to try again. Tom said he would have to see how the next few years play out, but said he might give it another shot.
Another moment that struck me was the graciousness of incumbent Trustee Paul Francis. He didn’t realize he had been re-elected until seconds before I approached him for comment. Besides being humbled, Mr. Francis said anyone of the seven candidates serve the community well.
He said he would be more than willing to work with the new trustees to make improvements to the community. Mr. Francis also acknowledged there are a number of challenges facing the township in the next couple of months.
Humility seemed to be contagious at Bedford Township Hall last night. It was everywhere from the township supervisor on down.