Bethel Park Councilman named “Outstanding Council Member of the Year” & two Councilmen receive “Distinguished Service Award”
Bethel Park Councilman Mark O’Brien has been named “Outstanding Council Member of the Year” by the Pennsylvania Borough Councils Association. O’Brien is the sole recipient of this award in the state and received his award yesterday at the organization’s annual conference in Hershey, PA.
Both O’Brien and Councilman Dr. Tim Campbell received the Pennsylvania State Association of Boroughs’ (PSAB) “Distinguished Service Award” as well yesterday. This award is presented to individuals performing “distinguished, meritorious and exceptionally outstanding service to the citizens of his or her borough and to promote better borough government,” according to PSAB.
“I’m so appreciative of these awards. I’m truly humbled by them,” said O’Brien. “I see these as an honor for not only me, but for all of the individuals who’ve helped me along the way including Municipal staff, my fellow Councilmembers, my family, and so many more who’ve worked with me over the years. I need to emphasize that this would not have been possible without the decades of outstanding leadership dedication and the hard work of Council President Tim Moury.”
Dr. Campbell, a member of Bethel Park Council representing Ward 2 for close to six years, was also appreciative of the recognition.
“I’m so humbled by this award,” said Dr. Campbell. “This was 100 percent unanticipated, but 100 percent appreciated.”
This year, there were many excellent submissions for the Outstanding Council Member of the Year award according to John Ehrman, deputy executive director/director of education and training for the Pennsylvania State Association of Boroughs.
“Congratulations to Mr. O’Brien on this well-deserved honor and over 30 years of dedicated service to Bethel Park,” said Ehrman.
Bethel Park Council President Tim Moury agrees.
“Mark is very dedicated and thrives on helping people and addressing residents’ concerns,” said Moury.
And, when speaking about Dr. Campbell’s honor, he said, “I believe it’s Dr. Campbell’s dedication to the community that brought him this honor. This was especially demonstrated during the pandemic when he was willing to donate his knowledge and expertise to help the community and direct the Municipality through that period. He was and continues to always be available to help and answer questions, and he was instrumental in setting up covid vaccine clinics a few years ago at the Community Center. He’s very much a humanitarian.”
O’Brien is in his 32nd year serving the Bethel Park community and representing those in Ward 6. And, while he’s enjoyed his time serving the community, he’s retiring in December.
“This has been such a journey. I’ve had such great mentors and amazing people to work with over the years,” said O’Brien. But it’s time for me to shift my service into other directions.”
After retirement, O’Brien will be getting more involved with the Bethel Park Historical Society, his church (South Hills Assembly of God), and the Bethel Park Veterans Memorial Committee.
“I’ll be moving forward in all of these endeavors with my extremely supportive wife, Caroline,” said O’Brien.
To read more about Councilman O’Brien and his numerous career highlights, click (https://bethelpark.net/connect/bethel-park-chronicles/#flipbook-df_94257/11/)
Dr. Campbell will also be retiring from his Council position in December.
“I ran for Council for the same reason that I do a lot of other things. I have a really strong need to serve – my mom and dad drove that home for me,” said Dr. Campbell. “I believe you have to get out of your comfort zone and serve other people.”
Dr. Campbell has been especially committed to the “Live Well Bethel Park” speaker series and ensuring that rail-trails, green space preservation, and park development continues to flourish in Bethel Park. He was instrumental during the pandemic hosting several Live Well series’ answering questions and educating the public; he also oversaw the organization of several vaccine clinics at the Bethel Park Community Center. In fact, working with Spartan Pharmacy between Bethel Park and Brentwood, almost 60,000 people were vaccinated and 26,000 received monoclonal antibodies.
“A strong focus during my time on Council has been on community wellness. I’m really committed to keeping people healthy.”
Dr. Campbell is also significantly involved in a number of state and federal health/disaster teams and initiatives. He serves on the Regional Urban Search and Rescue Team (PA-1 Strike Team), he’s the branch medical director officer for the Pennsylvania Special Medical Response Team and State Medical Assistance Teams (SMRT and SMAT Teams), the regional Hazmat Materials Medical Response Team (HAZMAT 450 Team and HAMMR), and serves as the chief supervisory medical officer for the federal PA-1 Disaster Medical Assistance Team (PA-1 DMAT).
“Our disaster response teams are the ones who fly into the hurricanes instead of going the other way,” said Dr. Campbell. “My trunk is always packed with uniforms, deployment gear and rescue equipment. I’ve had 30 disaster deployments to date and am ready for more!”
Dr. Campbell has also served on numerous international humanitarian missions in more than 20 countries over the past two decades.
After retiring six years ago from a private internal medical practice for over 30 years at UPMC Mercy, he is now the chief Medical Officer for Gallagher Home Health Services and Gallagher Hospice.
Both O’Brien and Dr. Campbell are looking ahead to more service work after their time on Bethel Park Council ends in December.
“Before my term is done, I want to solve the traffic issues at Irishtown, Logan and Patterson Roads,” said O’Brien. “I want to have discussions about a roundabout and talk about other creative ideas with the people who live there so that they’re comfortable with the process. Someday, I believe it will happen. I’d also like to see a bridge from the Montour Trail into the Industrial Park. In the past, Millennium Park, the Community Center, Veterans Plaza, and the Splash Pad were all ‘pie in the sky,’ so now it’s up to others to bring these new ideas to fruition.”
For O’Brien, the best part of his job has been the community.
“I’ve been blessed, and it’s been an honor to serve the residents of Bethel Park,” he said. “I hope I’ve done well; I’ve done my best.”
Dr. Campbell is looking to continue his work at Gallagher, his service work, and to dive into some of his many hobbies including walking, hiking and gardening.
“In order to find yourself, you’ve got to lose yourself in service to other people; that’s always been a credo in my life to give back,” said Dr. Campbell.
