Union Gap councilman unable to pursue re-election

UNION GAP, Wash. -- The daughter and the former wife of four-year Union Gap City Councilman Glenn Bateman said Tuesday he has terminal cancer and is unable to conduct his re-election bid.

Ellen Herzberg said she's been staying with her ex-husband for the past two weeks and his daughter, Glenna Gibson, has been living with him since August. The two, who are both residents of Dufur, Ore., are attending to the 83-year-old Bateman with the assistance of hospice care.

"It's amazing how he's holding on," Herzberg said in a phone interview. "We tried to talk him into withdrawing, but he still thought he would fight it,
I think. He just wouldn't give up."

"He's not in any pain, thank goodness," Gibson said. "When he's awake, he's alert and knows what's going on, but his body is just failing. That's the way life goes sometimes."

Herzberg, who said she had been married to Bateman for 29 years before they divorced, said he drifts in and out of consciousness. Because of his condition, he has missed the last two council meetings.

When called Tuesday afternoon, Mayor Jim Lemon said he had no idea of Bateman's condition. He said he thought Bateman had the flu.

"I never once figured cancer," Lemon said. "It's pretty sad. ... I don't think anybody could find any fault with him. He's a good guy."

Herzberg said Bateman didn't want anybody to know about his illness and kept it a secret, even from his friends.

Herzberg said his supporters deserve to know he won't be able to run his re-election bid.

Bateman attended Milan High School in Tennessee. A retired truck driver, he is divorced with three adult children.

In an interview this summer, Bateman said he was seeking a second term on the council because he wanted to provide water and sewer services to
west-side residents.

He supported business development, but did not support tax incentives to make that happen. He also was invested in studying the city's budget to find ways to control costs.

Bateman's name will still appear on the Nov. 3 election ballot alongside his opponent, Chad Lenz.

Lenz is a 46-year-old project manager for Thermoforming Systems in Yakima.

* Erin Snelgrove can be reached at   509-577-7684 or at esnelgrove@yakimaherald.com.