Attendance at the Bethlehem Heights Progressive Association meeting on Wednesday evening has shown that Bethlehem may be a well contested electorate this year.
2010 is an election year for local government and attending last week's meeting were six Tauranga City Councillors to go with the 13 residents who turned up.

Cr Brownless, Cr Guy, Cr Stewart and Cr Baker all have an interest in Bethlehem.

The Bethlehem ward includes most of the western half of the city including Matua, Otumoetai, Bellevue, Brookfield, Judea, Cambridge Heights, and Tauriko.
Currently the ward is served by Otumoetai-Bethlehem ward member Greg Brownless. From October there will be two councillors serving the renamed Pyes Pa-Otumoetai ward, with the new ward councillor possibly coming from one of the at-large city councillors resident there.
They include Murray Guy, Bill Faulkner, Mike Baker and Catherine Stewart.
Greg Brownless and Bill Faulkner didn't attend Wednesday's meeting, but Catherine Stewart and Bill Grainger did, along with Murray Guy, Mike Baker and Mount Maunganui resident deputy mayor David Stewart.
Bill Grainger from the Welcome Bay ward has a strong interest in roading issues, and Otumoetai resident Catherine Stewart is described by fellow councillor Murray Guy as being active on local issues. She's also a member of the Papamoa Residents' Association.
While the meeting organisers might have been disappointed at the residents' turnout, the council had enough for a quorum, and could have held their own meeting.