A conversation with B.J. Bishop

Since buying property on Longboat Key in 2002, B.J. Bishop has developed a strong presence in the town’s government.

Knowing her background as a planning commissioner and city council member in Leesburg, Va., friends and neighbors encouraged Bishop to take part in Longboat government. She was asked to join the board of the Key’s Public Interest Committee in 2004, and in 2006, she was appointed by commissioners to the Planning and Zoning Board. She serves as the group’s chairwoman.

We caught up with Bishop about why local government matters to her, and why more people should get involved.

Is there anything in particular that made you want to get involved in Key government?

I grew up in a community where, if you lived in that community, you were involved. You were either in the Rotary or you were a volunteer firefighter or you served on committees in the town. If you weren’t involved, people kind of looked at you like, “What’s wrong with you?”

I also feel like you can’t complain about what’s going on in the community if you’re not involved. Don’t tell me that you’re upset about X, Y, Z if you haven’t voted, and don’t tell me, “Well, if so-and-so just had done this ...” I’ll say, “Did you call them?” And if the answer is no, I’ll say, “Stop whining.” (laughs)

Is that an attitude you see on Longboat?

I am impressed with the fact that people are very conscientious about voting here. I would like to see more people involved in government. The fact that we’ve had so many unopposed commission elections is disappointing. I think it’s a disservice to the town. I think it’s a disservice to those who are currently serving on the commission because they don’t get an opportunity to tell people what they think or how their views align.

Do you think it should be the responsibility of town government to find ways to get people involved? Or do you think that’s just a decision people have to make on their own?

I think it’s a decision people have to make on their own, but I do think it’s a responsibility of elected officials to encourage more civic engagement to get people involved.

(Consider) the 30-foot residential (single-family) height issue … There were citizens who got their community involved because they felt strongly about it. What I would love to see is those same people keep that level of engagement going. I mean, quite honestly, I think the Charter Review Committee would have been well-served if they had gotten more citizen input, if they had gotten more community involvement, because it’s very hard to pass charter review suggestions on the ballot if nobody in the community was involved in making those recommendations.

The comprehensive plan is a huge issue that’s going to affect this community for the next 10 years, if not longer. Look at the impact the 1984 downzoning has had and the repercussions here some 30 some years later it’s still having. And yet, we’re not having the same level of interest or involvement on comprehensive plan discussions, and it’s going to impact this island in significant ways.

What do you think Longboat Key should look like in 20 years?

I don’t see Longboat becoming much larger population-wise, primarily because we are a two-lane-road island. We can talk until we’re blue in the face about transportation, but that road is never going to get any wider. It’s never going to be able to have significant changes to St. Armands Circle or to Bradenton Beach to improve traffic flow getting off the island. What we do need to do is make it easier for people who live on the island to be able to have essential services here so they don’t have to leave when traffic is ridiculous.

Do you think younger people should get involved in town government?

We are getting more and more younger people buying here, and we need to get them involved and engaged because, quite honestly, what happens right now with the comprehensive plan and other discussions, is going to have a huge impact on them because they’re still going to be here in 20, 30 years. So I think it’s critical that more of a younger generation get involved, be involved, and stay involved.

You’re one of few women serving on one of the town’s advisory boards. Do you think it would be beneficial if more women chose to serve?

Here’s my personal experience with women and public office, for the most part. Most women are used to “let’s just solve the problem, get things done and move forward.” They’re used to negotiating with children and families, so … It doesn’t have to be their idea. To be right all the time isn’t as important as “find the solution and move on.” I was fortunate that when I served on the city council in Leesburg my first term, we were pretty evenly split. I think we were four-three men to women. And when I first went on the Planning and Zoning Board here on Longboat, we had fabulous women … There were four of us there as well, and it changed the dynamic.

It brings a different attitude, I think, across the board. So yeah, I would love to see more women involved. And we have some really bright, successful, talented women ... and I wish we could get them more involved.