Babylon Town Councilman Dave Bishop, right, is presented with name plate from Babylon Town Supervisor Steve Bellone after Bishop was tapped for Town Board in January. Looking on is Babylon Town Councilwoman Ellen McVeety. Bishop has announced he will not run for the office in November. It's approximately 17 miles from the Suffolk County Legislature in Hauppauge to Babylon Town Hall in Lindenhurst, but for Councilman David Bishop, the former Legislator in the 15th District, the distance is much greater. He says he simply cannot make the trip.

Bishop, a Democrat, was unable to seek reelection to his legislative seat last year as a result of term limits. He was appointed by Babylon Town Supervisor Steve Bellone to fill the vacancy of Wayne Horsley, who won Bishop's seat last November. Now Bishop announced he will not run for the Town seat, saying the duties of the post "deserve to be met by a council person who is excited and enthusiastic to be there."

"Public service has always been a passion for me and I love being able to help, and being able to point to accomplishments that endure," said Bishop in discussing his decisions, "but I did not find the Town Board to be a good outlet for me."

Instead, Bishop will continue his duties as a Town Councilman until January, and then will work full time at the Manhattan law firm of Kirby, McInerny and Squire as a securities litigator. And, he will wait for another opportunity that he said would better suit his political personality, likely one at the state level.

Bishop had been discussed as a possible Democratic candidate to run against Republican Congressman Peter King in November, but declined and that nomination went to another Dave-Dave Mejias, a county lawmaker from Massapequa.

He is also considered the likely Democratic candidate to run for New York State Sen. Owen Johnson's seat, and while some political analysts considered this the year to wage a challenge against the longtime and popular Johnson, the Democratic caucus convened in June without nominating an opponent. Following that, Jim McDonald, a longtime Democratic activist in Babylon, collected signatures and is on the ballot to run against Johnson.

Bishop was a dynamic and innovative county lawmaker who was the architect of the County's greenways and downtown revitalization programs, which funneled millions of dollars into local projects in cooperation with local communities. In Babylon, that included the purchase of the old Erlwein property and a dilapidated site at Ocean Avenue and Merrick Road in Amityville, the Gazebo in Lindenhurst and the commission for the statue of Robert Moses next to Village Hall in Babylon Village. He also worked to bring environmental programs to his area such as the clean up and restoration of Ketcham's and Santapogue Creek and Oak Beach Park.

Often at the center of forming political coalitions and orchestrating concessions on major legislation, Bishop also developed leadership skills and political acumen, sometimes finding himself at odds with his party. He raised political heck when he ran a primary against Steve Israel who was tapped by the party to run for a vacant Congressgional seat in a three-way race that also included Ghenya Grant, an attorney from Wyandanch.

He said the position of a Town Councilman requires different skills and that Bellone's administration deserves to have the chance to have a council person of his own choosing. "That sets up a better dynamic on the Town Board," said Bishop.

For now, Bishop is looking to the future. "I love the title of being the honorable," said Bishop. "So, I will stay involved in the Democratic Party with an eye toward running for office again."