SOUTH WHIDBEY RECORD: Towers, Erickson vie for fire board position

Kira Erickson profiles the candidates for South Whidbey Fire/EMS Commissioner position 3.

Jim Towers, a former firefighter with the district, and Savannah Erickson, a former Federal Emergency Management Agency spokesperson, are vying for the seat on the fire district board.

Erickson notes that both candidates may end up as commissioners. Larry Metz, who was appointed to the position 1 in 2017, is moving out of the district and will be vacating his seat. The loser of the position 3 race could apply to fill the vacancy after the election. Metz filed to retain the seat in May. His resignation comes too late to remove his name from the ballot.

They Said It

Jim Towers: Towers was a volunteer firefighter for 35 years who, despite his retirement from the district last month, did not yet feel ready to sever his connection with South Whidbey Fire/EMS. “I would bring a knowledge of the fire service and how it works, what it needs,” he said.

Savannah Erickson: Erickson, who is now an entrepreneur, spent over a decade responding to large-scale disasters in her previous career as a communications person for FEMA. “That experience took me across the country serving on major disaster operations, from earthquakes to flooding to hurricanes,” she said. “Almost all of the leadership presently for South Whidbey Fire/EMS are men, and they’re older men,” she said. “I bring a younger, fresher perspective. I think that the broad experience that I have in emergency management is a good one because I’ve had the opportunity to see how many different states operate.”

On the Ballot in November 2021 – South Whidbey Fire/EMS:

• Position 1 – Larry Metz (Incumbent)
• Position 3 – Savannah Erickson vs Jim Towers