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Bellevue Mayor Believes Faith and Politics Do Mix
Craig Pinley
BELLEVUE, WA (July 13, 2000) - The United States advocates the separation of church and state in its constitution, but Chuck Mosher doesn't want to have to follow that line of thinking when it comes to his value system.
In fact, Mosher, the mayor of Bellevue, Washington, wants to model some of the character traits of two of his favorite bible characters as he mixes his Christian faith with his political aspirations. Given his track record in local public service, his desire to combine Jesus-style servanthood with Joseph-style political savvy has borne good fruit.
"I see politics as a service, not a job," said Mosher, a member of Newport Covenant Church in Bellevue. "This is perfect for me. I've been doing a lot of work (with the city). I understood the issues of the city, and the good Lord gave me a talent to work cooperatively with people," he continued. "I'm happy to work at the local level. I can see changes and help make important decisions."
Mosher has always seen public service as a desirable profession. Shortly after graduating from Oregon State University, a U.S. government accounting representative gave a speech that motivated him to take a position with the U.S. General Accounting Office. "At that time, during the Kennedy era, public service was considered to be a calling and I got into serving my country," he said.
Mosher retired in 1993, but has found plenty to keep him busy since. Before taking the position as mayor, he was deputy mayor and served as a council member for the city. During his long-running political career, he chaired the city planning commission and served both the Association of Washington Cities (AWC) board and as president of the water resource and homeowners associations. He is a former chair of Newport Covenant Church.
In his attempt to relate his faith to the political world, Mosher strives to emulate the relational way Jesus dealt with others. "The bible talks about the way Christ handled things - Jesus treated all people with respect," Mosher said. "He didn't like certain acts, but he treated individuals with respect. He had the standards, but he always felt - even with the worst individuals - he could challenge them through forgiveness to do the right thing."
Through reading the book of Genesis, he came to appreciate Joseph and how he kept his integrity in life and government despite difficult circumstances. "Even under tremendous strain and stress, Joseph did not succumb to the temptation of the flesh," Mosher said. "And even in prison he kept to a very high standard of excellence, doing his best under trying conditions."
Although it is considered a part-time position, Mosher understands that being mayor of a city of 106,000 is a full-time task. Bellevue has 121,000 jobs within its boundaries, transforming the suburb into what Mosher calls "a mini-Seattle." Keeping urban sprawl to a minimum and curbing traffic problems with a 38 percent decrease in county transportation funds are among the more urgent problems he faces.
Mosher recently tackled a local pipeline problem in the water system as Bellevue became the first city in the area to join a new local government consortium to hire experts to analyze pipeline data. Through the drafting of a standard franchise agreement, cities such as Bellevue will have more say in the safety of pipelines running through their jurisdictions.
"Getting the best information, using the information as best as possible, and getting people to work together has always been part of what I do," said Mosher. "I think I can listen to people rather than react, and I believe I'm slow to anger and quick to forgive. I usually find that people aren't saying what they're really saying initially, and I've realized that retaliation is not wise. If I
have problems with issues, I try to look to my principles as opposed to just using situational ethics."
Being a mayor has many administrative tasks that can keep one from staying in tune with the public, but Mosher has tried to add a personal touch to what he does. Last year, he and another council member were auctioneers at a local benefit and raised a record amount of money for the organization.
While most of his mayoral colleagues are usually dressed to the hilt, he wears sweaters as a way to put a more informal touch on his formal position. He jokes that his U.S. government job helped him gain a healthy dose of humility and a thick skin for politics. "Because of my former job, I was used to (taking) abuse," he noted.
Election primaries often thrust religion in the political spotlight. Judging individual candidates' religious preferences may prevent some people from accurately assessing the overall merits of the candidates, Mosher believes. Since the Bellevue city council is non-partisan, Mosher didn't have to run on a particular party platform. He said he appreciates the opportunity to be considered for government positions because of his competence, not his Christianity.
"I've had a good record of service," Mosher said. "Don't put a label on me. I'm happy to admit I'm a born-again Christian and if it's used against me, so be it. But, I've found it easier to run
as one who is a good problem-solver than as one who has to meet certain litmus tests."
Copyright © 2008 The Evangelical Covenant Church. |
