Jessie Stensland reports from Oak Harbor for the Whidbey News-Times.
An Oak Harbor city council member and former mayoral candidate is moving away.
Shane Hoffmire announced that he is resigning his seat on the council at the end of the month. He is moving to Peoria, Illinois with his fiancée, Dori Durst, and 3-year-old son, Lejend.
Hoffmire is known on the council for his enthusiasm and boosterism of the city, its employees and its projects. After running an unsuccessful campaign for mayor that became unusually contentious — by Oak Harbor standards — Hoffmire has become an advocate for government transparency.
The council will appoint someone to replace him until the next general election.
They Said It
Hoffmire is emotional about leaving Oak Harbor, which he said will always be home, but he’s also excited about opportunities ahead. His small family is moving to Central Illinois, where his fiancée’s 14-year-old son lives. He said he wants his son to grow up knowing his brother-to-be.
He said he and his fiancée had been talking about the possibility of moving for years. He said they were drawn by the moderate cost of living in the Midwest, which contrasts with the ever-increasing housing costs on the West Coast. He already sold his home in Oak Harbor and was able to buy a new house in Peoria, free and clear of a mortgage.
Hoffmire was hired as chief engineer with a hotel chain in Peoria. His fiancée and toddler have already moved. He said he originally planned to stay in Oak Harbor and continue as a council member until the end of the year, but his son, who misses him dearly, persuaded him to move sooner.
Hoffmire said he’s been involved in volunteering for the community most of his adult life…. “Being elected to city council and representing the people of Oak Harbor has been one of the greatest honors of my life,” he said.
While his contentious relationship with the mayor isn’t the main reason for leaving, Hoffmire said it was a catalyst for finally making a decision.
“It makes you take inventory and evaluate what’s happening in your life,” he said.
…Still, Hoffmire said he remains the “eternal optimist.” He said he plans to volunteer and take part in the community in Illinois, though he’s going to stay away from partisan politics.
He also sees good things ahead for Oak Harbor. He believes the current council is one of the best that the city has ever had.
“I do think that Oak Harbor’s best days are ahead,” he said.
Councilmember Bryan Stucky noted that he and Hoffmire were elected to office at the same time, so they learned the role together. He said Hoffmire has done what he thought best for the city, but he can be “a bit of a maverick.”
“We did not always see eye to eye on every issue nor did we always agree on the best way to communicate with the public,” Stucky said. “Despite this, we were always able to hash out our differences and continued to work well together.”
In an email [this summer, Mayor Ronnie] Wright wrote that he acknowledges all individuals’ First Amendment right to speak their mind.
“Due to Councilmember Hoffmire’s job representing the City, we did ask him, both publicly and privately, to refrain from posting personal attacks about the city on social media,” the mayor wrote. “While we support his right to post or voice his opinions freely, his decisions to engage in divisive rhetoric online only contribute to the environment of hostility he later claims to have been a victim of. A councilmember’s criticism of the city is more appropriately aired, in a professional manner, at a public meeting where the city can engage in a constructive way.”
