Two candidates running for Village President seat in Bement

Two candidates are running for the four-year term for Village of Bement President.

Patrick Tieman is the current Village of Bement President.

Newcomer Jerry Riley isseeking his first term.

The candidates filled out questionnaires for the Record Herald News, and their responses follow in this article.

Polling places will be open 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Election Day (April 6).

Jerry Riley

Hello everyone. A lot of you know me in our great Village of Bement.

Those that don’t, my name is Jerry Riley. I am a member of the Millwright Union. I have a certificate in Human Performance.

I am writing this to announce that I am running for Village President on April 6, 2021.

I am asking for your vote.

If elected, I will be in the Village office 3 days a week.

One of my goals is trying to get a subdivision in town. I will work hard on trying to get it done.

Why am I running? I like working with people. I will do my best to serve all citizens in our great community. I will be there to serve you. I want to help the people of Bement and see it continue to do well.

Pat Tieman

Tracy and I got married in 1992. We have three dogs and a cat! They are our family. I own Salon 101 in Bement. I have had my own salon since 1995. Started in my home. I am also the Pastor for the Bement Baptist Church. I also am a part time employee for Hinds Funeral Home in Bement.

I am currently the Bement Village President.

I am seeking re-election on April 6, 2021.

I currently am the Treasurer for Bement Community Council. We are responsible for the 4th of July activities as well as the Christmas parade and activities. A group of us took it over to keep the traditions alive and serve our town that we love.

I have been Village President for 8 years. Before that I served on the Village Board for 4 years. Before this I served in the zoning committee for 4 years.

I am running for Village President because I love serving the people of Bement. Bement is my hometown and has been very good to me through the years so I want to give back to my community. We have a lot to be proud of and I love to brag about Bement!!

Currently we are working on some grants. These grants would be used to update some of our water infrastructure. We currently are working with two agencies to apply for these grants.

We are working on getting the Morris Property torn down which has been an eyesore for Bement for years. It has been very unfair to those who live around it to have to see this travesty everyday.

We just recently replanted our ornamental trees along 105. Our old ones died and we want to showcase how beautiful Bement is!

We also are applying for the second phase of Safe Routes to School sidewalk project.

If re-elected I would like to continue with our grant applications to update our infrastructure. I believe this is very important as we are like many small towns that have older infrastructure.

Again… I feel updating our infrastructure is very important and hopefully we can receive some grant money.

We also have a problem with trains blocking our crossings. Sometimes they block them for over 2 hours. I have a meeting scheduled with the railroad as well as with the department that regulates train traffic. We want to include Sheila Greenwood who is our school

Superintendent as I am sure we both are concerned for the children’s safety.

Our attorney will be involved as well as a couple more agencies. We are hoping for some good communication and some remedies to our problem.

I hate to compare myself to other people because I feel that we all have something to offer in different ways. I absolutely wish my opponent the very best and if I should not be re-elected I will gladly help my opponent transfer into the position.

I just feel that my love for Bement keeps me working for the betterment of Bement.

A President once said “Ask not what your country can do for you but rather what you can do for your country”.

I feel the same…. “Ask not what your Village can do for you but rather what you can do for your Village”.

We are a stronger community when we work together as a team! Thank you!