Stephen Muchovej with the Eastern Sierra behind him

Re-elect Stephen Muchovej for Bishop City Council

Building Bishop’s Future

Proven results. Thoughtful leadership. Ready for the next chapter.

“Bishop is a small town with a big backyard. My commitment is to preserve what makes it special while making the investments that will keep it that way for generations to come.”

Eight years of progress

Delivering Results

When I first ran for City Council eight years ago, I promised to help Bishop proactively address its biggest challenges. At the time, the City was carrying long-term financial obligations that exceeded our annual budget, our zoning laws were outdated, and housing development had stalled.

We have made meaningful progress by addressing the underlying policies and finances that were holding Bishop back. The work is not finished, but today we are in a much stronger position to take on the challenges ahead.

Fiscal Responsibility

Getting Bishop onto solid financial footing had to come first. We made difficult choices, planned for long-term obligations, and focused City spending on what delivers real value to residents.

Balanced budgets through disciplined financial planning and responsible stewardship of taxpayer dollars.
Put the City’s long-term financial obligations on a sustainable path through responsible spending and ending costly benefits that no longer made sense.
Put Bishop in a strong financial position to invest in roads, utilities, parks, and public safety instead of simply reacting to financial challenges.

Housing

Housing was one of the issues that first motivated me to run. Rather than waiting for individual projects, we changed the rules and created opportunities for housing to be built.

Updated zoning to create more opportunities for new housing.
Secured land for future residential development.
Created an environment where developers are once again investing in Bishop’s future.
Positioned Bishop for significant new housing construction over the coming years.

A Stronger Downtown

A healthy downtown requires more than individual projects. We adopted a long-term framework that gives businesses and property owners clearer rules and more flexibility to invest.

Adopted the Downtown Specific Plan to encourage investment and create a more vibrant, inviting Main Street.
Modernized City policies to better support local businesses.
Began working with Caltrans to explore long-term solutions for reducing heavy truck traffic through downtown.

The work ahead

The Next Chapter

Over the past eight years, we’ve put Bishop in a financial position to tackle projects that previous councils simply couldn’t afford. The next phase is about turning years of planning and financial discipline into visible, lasting improvements throughout the city.

Our sewer treatment plant, police station, and fire station were all built more than 70 years ago. Much of our underground water and sewer infrastructure is also reaching the end of its useful life.

It’s time for a generational investment in our city.

Because we’ve strengthened the City’s financial foundation, we can now focus on securing the funding and partnerships needed to make these projects a reality.

Investing in Infrastructure

Much of the infrastructure we rely on every day was built more than 70 years ago. Replacing it will be one of the most important responsibilities facing the City over the coming years.

Modernize our police and fire facilities.
Replace aging water and sewer lines throughout the city.
Plan for a modern wastewater treatment plant to serve Bishop for decades to come.
Invest in our streets with a focus on safety and sustainability.

Investing in Community

Infrastructure is only part of what makes Bishop a great place to live. We also need to keep investing in the places, housing, and downtown that bring our community together.

Begin turning the City Park Master Plan into reality.
Continue expanding housing opportunities to ensure our residents and their kids can afford to live here.
Keep improving Main Street as the heart of our community.

Bringing Outside Funding Home

Projects of this scale cannot fall entirely on local taxpayers. Every dollar we bring to Bishop from outside sources is a dollar that doesn’t have to come from Bishop taxpayers.

I’ve secured local transportation funding, successfully obtained federal congressional earmarks for Bishop, and built strong partnerships with local, state, and federal agencies. I’ll continue working to bring every available outside dollar home to our community.

Stephen Muchovej at a Bishop community event

About Stephen

Why I Serve

I’ve proudly called Bishop home for nearly twenty years. Serving as your councilmember, and now as your mayor, has been one of the greatest honors of my life.

Professionally, I solve difficult problems for a living. As an engineer and technology leader, I’ve spent my career leading teams that build complex technology used by millions of people. That experience has taught me to study the facts, weigh tradeoffs carefully, solve complex problems, and navigate the rapidly changing technological issues that increasingly affect local government. Those are skills I’ve brought to City Hall every day.

Outside of City Hall, I’ve been proud to help found the Eastside Student Center, serve on the Eastern Sierra Foundation, teach graduate students at UC Berkeley, and support many of the organizations that make Bishop such a special community.

I don’t believe every decision should be easy, or even unanimous. I do believe every decision should be thoughtful, transparent, and made with Bishop’s long-term interests in mind. Ultimately, I believe government should be measured not by promises, but by results.

I respectfully ask for your vote so we can continue building Bishop’s future together.

A small town with a big backyard

Why I Believe in Bishop

Bishop is special because of far more than the landscape around us. It is a place where people know their neighbors, volunteer for their community, support local businesses, and step up when someone needs help.

I have spent much of my career working in technology and solving problems far beyond the Eastern Sierra, but Bishop is the place I chose to make my home. I want to preserve the character that makes this community special while making sure the people who live and work here can continue to build their lives here.

That means planning for housing, investing in the infrastructure we depend on, supporting a vibrant downtown, improving our parks and public spaces, and making decisions with the next generation in mind.

“Good government isn’t about chasing headlines. It’s about doing the hard work today so Bishop is stronger tomorrow.”

Contact Stephen