This “New Energy” that I’ve personnaly noticed at the local level is already making a difference and I would also like to express how important the grass roots efforts like those of the EDA can be in helping to revitalize a downtown or community.

Timothy has already established himself as the man about town and is recognized by everybody for all of the walking around from business to business rallying the troops. Having spoken to several of the business leaders in the community myself, the majority seem hopefull and optimistic about Ellensburg’s future.

My first priorities as Executive Director were to assist our current board of directors with becoming more knowledgeable about the Main Street program, a new name change, (if you’ve ever worked on a name change, you know it is not uncommon to take up drinking during the process) preparation of amendments to our corporate articles and by-laws and the creation of a mission statement and work plan. After contacting Washington’s Main Street Director in Olympia for suggestions and guidance for our organization, I contacted Timothy about being a facilitator for our 2006 Board Retreat. He was unavailable, so I rescheduled, called again, left messages, talked with him again at the Main Street conference, etc. I learned this summer that he would be leaving Walla Walla and accepting a new Executive Director’s position in Ellensburg. So I left him alone for a few months and called again with my request in October as we had a newly elected board. Finally, this month, he found one open weekend in February and agreed to facilitate our Board Retreat. I’m pretty sure he finally agreed so I’d quit calling him. I am confident that our Retreat will yield a successful and much needed mission statement and work plan for 2007 and further our goal to become a Main Street program.

While I don’t mean to imply that Timothy flies around in blue spandex with a red cape revitalizing deserted downtowns across America (though I’d pay to see that if he did), his accomplishments reveal economic revitalization in the towns where he has worked and applied the Main Street approach, one successful step at a time. And more importantly, the changes implemented seem to be withstanding the test of time.

When talking with Timothy, I always appreciate his focus on the Main Street approach and his application of that focus when sharing and questioning me about my own organization. He has that unique ability of posing questions which help you answer your own queries. In my first 28 year career as a paralegal, I learned that the most successful lawyers were those who could create a team vision in each case they handled. Timothy is tenacious, but pleasant, in bringing the conversation, questions and answers back to the Main Street focus time and again, which in turn, creates an unforgettable thought process and “vision” for those who are willing to learn from him and are truly vested in the economic restructuring strategies for their downtowns.

I look forward to watching the results of Timothy’s work with downtown Ellensburg as our organization is also in its first year of the same process. However, I have learned from him that each downtown has its own unique history, flavor and goals and that means the true application of the Main Street approach results in different processes in each downtown. I am optimistic 2007 will be a foundational year for our organization and a stepping stone in our future revitalization success.

Thank you for the focus, Timothy, and we’ll see you in February.

Shelly Schlumpf, Executive Director, Sumner Downtown Assoc.

A few years later Bishop phones me once, and I return the call immediately. He wants one of our concepts in Walla Walla, WA. Luckily, I was committed to having fewer rather than more restaurants. I stuck to NO on the restaurant, but he succeeded in getting me to visit Walla Walla and provide input on their Downtown 20 yr. plan. He basically wanted me to consult while staying within his budget … free. However, I may have been overpaid. I learned so much from that visit. I felt surrounded with the creativity, vision and the infectious enthusiasm of Timothy and his downtown advocates. Others must have thought so, too. Walla Walla landed 17 pages in Sunset Magazine, stories in the Oregonian, WSJ, NY Times, Boston Globe, national recognition and much more. Timothy Bishop doesn’t go out and rebuild downtowns. He is an arson who lights fires in the hearts and minds of downtown citizens. They become personally involved in the excitement and rebirth of their city’s cultural and economic center.

I want Bishop and his wand to come to Boise. I know people in other cities that want his talent. I read that he had pretty much achieved his goals in Walla Walla and was moving on – not to the big bucks of larger cities, but to the unique challenge that Ellensburg, WA faces today.

I think I will go wait by the phone in case Timothy Bishop calls. Each time I have had an opportunity to “help” him, I return to Boise with far more enlightenment and ideas than I have provided. I continue to be intrigued by Bishop’s ability to blend the administrative and bureaucratic skills of a downtown business association director, with the entrepreneurial panache of a creative innovator. I can’t wait to see what the near future has in store for Ellensburg’s small and vulnerable downtown. Saving the downtown sounds like a defensive maneuver. But, sometimes the best defense is a strong offense. Goliath mega-stores can suck the life out of traditional downtowns. The mall-to-mall sprawl that accompanies these behemoth Big-Box retailers can take away far more than the independent shop owners. It can shoplift the very soul of a city’s center. But, despite the threatening storm clouds that accompany the Maul Malaise, my guess is that offensive coordinator Timothy Bishop and a revved up cadre of downtown activists will have an innovative strategic plan that aims high. The plan will no doubt include lofty, yet achievable goals that can race past basic downtown “survival” on their way to unprecedented success. This is a tough but doable challenge.

On the economic chessboard of Ellensburg’s future, King Wal-mart, Queen K-mart, et al, position themselves to gobble up the small pawns of independent merchants; corral the knights and horses; and monopolize the formerly castle-controlled real estate. But for what it’s worth, my money’s on The Bishop.