By Barry Scholl
Elected to a second four-year term in 1997, Springdale Mayor Phillip Bimstein, has earned a reputation as a hard-working leader with a penchant for intellectual discussion and a quiet but persistent maverick streak. A graduate of the Chicago Conservatory of Music, Bimstein, 52, is known as a passionate defender of wilderness, as well as an advocate for community involvement in the political process. In two recent interview sessions, he proved to be an open, thoughtful and loquacious subject. The man who once tickled the ivories for the new wave band Fill in the Blanks generously filled in the blanks for The Zephyr.
Q: Why don't we start by talking about your background?
A: I grew up in Chicago and came out west on vacation a couple of times
in the late '70s. I was particularly drawn as soon as I saw the red rock
of southern Utah. I feel in love and dreamed about living here. I had
visions of Utah going through my head and literally could not not come
back. I returned two or three more times before settling here.
I'd gone to L.A. to study film composing at UCLA and in need of escape,
I saw a house here in Springdale for sale. The next day I owned it. I
didn't know anybody in Utah. I just saw this house and seized the
moment. That was in September of 1988. After I bought the house, I
called some friends in Chicago and they said I might never be accepted
here, this being a small town in Utah and all that.
Q: Were they right?
A: I was so in love with the place that I read everything I could find
on Washington County. About six months after I moved here, somebody
from the church (of which I'm not a member) knew I was a composer and
asked me to write a piece for the town choir. Writing the piece became
kind of a discovery. I got the poetry of one guy who grew up on land
that is now part of the park but had once been part of his family's
holdings.
Everybody was welcoming and accepting. They were happy to meet somebody
who was interested in them. So I guess the answer to your question is
no. I never experienced that newcomer vs. old-timer split. I think
Springdale's a welcoming community. They evaluate people not be
categorizing them but by who they are. So on the 35th anniversary of the
town's incorporation, in the spring of 1989, I wrote "Zion: A Pilgrim's
Journey." J.L. Crawford's words were incorporated. And John Wesley
Powell's description of the towers of the Virgin and a paraphrase from
an old Mormon hymn "O Ye Mountains High." And I added some of my own
words. In a way it describes us all as pilgrims. It also was meant to
characterize me like other pilgrims. I was part of a lineage of folks
who were drawn to this place.
Q: You're known for being widely read. A particular favorite of yours, I
understand, is Daniel Kemmis' book about local governance, Community
and the Politics of Place.
A: I've read that three times and looked at it at least several times
since. It became a central text. Vaclav Havel, the dissident playwright
who became president of the Czech Republic, was another influence. When
people suggested I run for mayor, I decided to read some books to help
ground me in the right decision. I was a composer, an artist. I knew I
would be capable of being mayor, but I wondered if it would take me away
from my creative work. In reading Havel's works, there were things about
what was right.
Q: So now the obvious question: why did people elect you?
A: I was known in the community-I guess positively because of the arts. I
had written the choral work sung in 1989 and then I wrote [the New Music
composition] "Garland Hirschi's Cows." That piece helped me get to know
the history and culture of the community through becoming aware of the
life of one man. His life gave me insight into the lives of a lot of the
folks who live here. And then I was president of the local arts council.
And I did my New Music Utah Festival here from '92-'94. At the time the
town was extremely polarized--more over personalities than issues.
I think one reason folks thought I would be a good candidate was because
of the potential to bring in a more positive atmosphere. I also had a
business background. I was involved in communication. Having a desire to
be clear and get people to listening to each other is the kind of thing
I'd been doing for a long time.
When I think about my new wave band in the early 1980s, I was kind of
the manager for that group. There was a small community involved in
that, not only the five members of the band, but the crew, the club
owners, the waitresses. I actually developed skills at dealing with
people. I think the degree to which people are used to
listening--figuring out a good way to work things out--those skills
transfer to a lot of different areas. As a musician or composer, there's
a sense of how things work physically that can transfer to community
dialogue. Even in improvising. before you take your solo it's good to
listen first and see where things are going. It helps to know where
everybody already is. There's a direct correlation between that and
going to a town meeting. There's one distinction between the two. I'm
not a conductor. I'm more a facilitator; it's more a leadership role
where you listen for what each person's skills are.
Speaking of books, which I guess we were a minute ago, I read a book
called Composing a Life by Margaret Mead's daughter. It's about
six or eight women and how they balance the elements of their
lives-career, family, etc. I thought someday I might write a book called
Composing a Community. I don't know if I'll ever do it,
though-that's another life.
Q: When you talk about how well accepted you've felt in Springdale, I
wonder how much of that had to do with the fact that the pumps had
already been primed-the town was ready for your brand of progressive
leadership. Do you think your ideas would have been as well accepted in,
say, Escalante or Monticello?
A: Maybe Springdale is a more progressive community than other
communities of southern Utah and more accepting. I don't know Escalante
that well but from some of the things I hear . . . (long pause).
It might be I was intuitive enough to pick the right community. When I
called my friends in Chicago after buying the house, had I moved to
Escalante they might have been right.
Seeds were planted before I ran for mayor that inspired me to run. One
was a humanities program, "Embracing Opposites: In Search of the Public
Good." Two women, Lynn Berryhill and Louise Excell, applied for the
grant from Utah Humanities Council and brought five speakers here
including [former Missoula mayor] Daniel Kemmis who was the keynote.
Terry Tempest, William Kittredge and Thomas Lyons were other
participants. They brought their own experience from their communities
and spoke in a broader context about the humanities. It was just the
focus of that; it got a lot of people energized and thinking about what
they could do for this community.
To get back to your earlier question, I do think the right person with
the right skills and inclination could do some good. The approach has to
be suited to that community and to the issues facing it. I didn't come
here thinking I'm going to import my ways on how the town should be
run-people with that attitude encounter more resistance than somebody
willing to listen to people's concerns. It's important you have the
trust of the people in town. It can be done anywhere.
Q: You've been an avid spokesman for the designation of Utah wilderness.
Does that ever lead to conflict with some of your conservative
constituents?
A: I've never heard a complaint. I did it because it's the right stand
for Utahns and for Springdale. Our quality of life depends on these
lands and our economy depends on the protection of these lands. I did
this with my eyes open. The folks who come to Springdale want to see
this land preserved. I think it's the right decision for the wildlife
and the people and the land. It doesn't hurt that it's also the right
position economically. As an elected official, I can speak of the main
street perspective.
I testified against Hatch's bill in the Senate. After Hatch spoke I
shook his hand and told him I was there to testify against his bill. He
looked a little surprised. I tried to convey to opponents that a large
number of Utahns support protection of those lands. We know that it's
deeply ingrained into the local culture to dislike the federal
administration of lands. But Springdale supported the designation of the
Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument. The mayor of Rockdale is
supportive of wilderness. too. I'd like to think there'll be another
[local pro-wilderness elected official] before long.
Q: Right now, there's a lot of discussion about the loss of traditional
values in small towns all around the West. Ironically, one of the things
that's sparking this rapid socioeconomic change is the infusion of
tourism dollars. Any thoughts on the pheomenon?
A: The idea that a community might be making itself so attractive that
it might be planting the seeds of its own demise is something I've
considered quite a lot. But there are other factors to consider. First
of all, things are going to change. Right now, we've got a lot of people
in their 70s and 80s who were born here and either moved away and came
back or have lived here all their lives. When they die, somebody will
buy their property; somebody new will inevitably move in.
Springdale does not have chains. We were able to stand off Subway a few
years ago. There are other ways in which you can keep those places away.
One is sign ordinances, another is forbidding drive-up windows. Right
now, we only have the Best Western. They had to conform to our codes. We
negotiated with them and settled on something we could both live with.
Most of the businesses in our town are family-owned. That's important.
Any town will be more attractive to visitors if they maintain their
unique quality. Over time, I'm not sure we can maintain that. I am
cautious about something I think is a danger in the long run-having
businesses owned by people who don't live in town. [On the other hand]
the Best Western is owned by people in Salt Lake and the manager lives
in another town, but they're very good citizens. I support entirely the
business community and the need to make money. But I wouldn't want to
see this town's soul given over to the dollar. I'm sure there are very
anti-commercial people who say it's happened already. We do get 2.5
million visitors per year and of course they require services.
As long as there's a balance things can coexist. We are trying to
preserve agricultural land in town. One of the ironies is some of the
folks who are trying to convert agricultural lands to something that is
more commercially viable. We're trying to preserve some agricultural
lands here, particularly green and open space.
Q: Are Amercians really as turned off by politcs as opinion surveys
suggest?
A: I'm not a politician, but I guess I am as long as I'm mayor [laughs].
Politics is ultimately a good calling. It's where we discuss the
philosophy of what human rights are, what the social contract is. It's
potentially a very interesting play. I think everyone should be turned
on by it. I don't understand why only 50% of people vote.
We're preserving the character of our community and also the characters
of our community. People are coming together who love the place. If you
took a community where people were fighting, you might find one thing
they all agreed upon passionately. That's how you identify common
ground.
In his new book The Good City and the Good Life , Kemmis gets
into the idea that it's the responsibility of the people to get
involved. There's too much expectation that the government is going to
do things for you. With federal lands, I always try to point out that
they belong to us.
This anti-government thing is full of shit. Government is us. Very few
people are in favor of anarchy. The key is not about how our leaders
need to do this. It's not a top-down thing. It's a bottom-up thing.
Citizens need to realize the power of listening and speaking to people
who have different views. The power to make things happen by forming
partnerships.
It's not just power, but responsibility. If you want to change things,
get involved. Write a letter, vote.
Hear the other side and take responsibly. Take responsibility for
listening and make a decision. I try to get people to speak to each
other and not just expect the leaders to do that. The people have to get
engaged.
Q: You've obviously had some success with that endeavor in Springdale.
Will you seek a third term?
A: The next election is in November of 2001. I think I always assumed
during my first term I would run for a second term if I felt good about
it. I wanted to institutionalize whatever momentum we'd gained.
Within the last half year, I've surprised myself by beginning to
entertain the notion, but I have the luxury of time to decide. I want to
see what the needs of the town are, whether there's somebody else I can
support.
There's also a very annoying part about it: having these distractions
come up. I'll just see personally what's going on in my own life. I've
been able to compose, but sometimes I wonder would I be able to do more
with my musical career if I wasn't a little handicapped.
Q: Define your personal philosophy in a sentence or two.
A: As you can tell, I'm not good at brevity [laughs]. But here goes: I
wish people would think of politics as dialogue and applied philosophy
rather than back-room deals. But it's where you take all your ideas and
ideals about life and human society and put them into play. You'll never
have everybody agree-you always want diversity. Things are more healthy
when things are diverse-like soil. I think the same thing in the body
politic. Get involved, that's where the juice of life is.