Bishop Named Mayor of Norton

The race for the unofficial Mayor of Norton has ended, with Steven Bishop coming out on top.

Bishop raised $1,276, which was matched by Teachers Driving Academy, totaling $2,552. His opponent, Meg Fox, raised $630. Together, they raised $3,182, half of which went towards Norton Parks and Recreation Department. The rest went towards the charities of Bishop's choice.

In honor of his opponent, Bishop wrote a check from his business for $250 to give to , a wiffle and kickball league for disabled children ages 4 and older. Fox and her family founded the organization three years ago. Working with Project Early at L. G. Nourse, a young boy asked her why he couldn’t play baseball with the other kids. That is when Fox knew she had to create a league in which kids like him could participate in.

“I’d like to be more active with that, because it’s a phenomenal idea,” Bishop said.

Some money will go towards buying a canopy to put over spectator benches while the rest will be put aside for scholarships.

“We do about six scholarships a year, so it would be nice to do a few more,” Fox said.

Donations to Little Wiffles can be made in care of Meg Fox, 11 Eileen Road, Norton.

Bishop donated the rest of the money to Jacob VanDenBerghe, an eighth grade student at Norton Middle School, who was invited to attend the Presidential Inaugural Conference in January 2013. The other half of Teachers Driving Academy’s donation also went to Jacob. He has to raise $3,500 and is about three quarters of the way there after receiving this money.

“It’s tough, but we are getting there,” Jacob said about his fundraising efforts.

“It’s just been hard to raise the money and so this is such a blessing and the fact that Steve and the town have been so good to Jacob and encouraging him to go,” said his mother, Amy Anderson. “It’s nice to get the support behind him.”

To help send Jacob to the conference, call Amy at 508-285-8710 or mail donations to Amy Anderson, 1 Robin Circle #1, Norton, MA 02766.

“A huge thank you to both of you guys for raising money not only for your charities but to help the Parks and Rec for everything we do,” said Norton Parks and Recreation chairperson Sheri Cohen. “We really appreciate all that you guys have done for our town and continue to do.”

Bishop’s entourage of family, friends and Norton Pop Warner football players cheered on as he received a photo of former Mayor of Norton Leo Yelle, his grandfather.

“He was the driving force behind this whole thing,” Bishop said.

Following in his footsteps, Bishop will be the Grand Marshall in this year’s Halloween Parade, adorned with the same Mayor sash his grandfather wore.

“The friends and family really came out to raise all this money for a great cause,” Bishop said. “It was a lot of fun and I’m looking forward to having more fun with it.”

The Halloween Parade will start noon on Oct. 28 from the Norton/Attleboro town line and will end at St. Mary’s Church. This is the 20th anniversary of the event. Sponsorships and donations are being sought. Volunteers are also wanted to carry banners. For more information visit www.nortonparksandrec.com/.