Kira Erickson reports on election filings in Langley.
Just ahead of filing week, two candidates have decided to throw their hats into the ring for mayor of the Village by the Sea and one for a seat on the Langley City Council.
Mayor Scott Chaplin, who was appointed to the position in 2021, does not plan to seek election. Thomas Gill and Krista “Kennedy” Horstman both plan to run….
Chris Carlson, who is a technology program manager for the University of Washington, is running for Gill’s seat on the city council. He is currently the chairperson of Langley’s citizen-led Finance and Personnel Legislative Commission and has served on various other boards as well.
They Said It
An employee of Whidbey Telecom, Gill is focused on bringing the city into the 21st century with much-needed updates in technology.
“It’s a combination of the technology limitations and staff as to why we have had so many issues with the Open Public Meetings Act and providing documentation and public records when requested,” he said. “Too many things to look at and too few people to do it.”
“With over 20 years of leadership and management experience, I look forward to working collaboratively with the city council and staff to provide our community with transparency, accountability, and a spirit of service,” [Horstman] wrote in an email to The Record. “I bring a personal commitment to: the principles of diversity, equity and inclusion; lessening the effects of climate change; and providing affordable housing for our wage earners.”
One of [Carlson’s] goals is to ensure that the council works efficiently, which means not getting bogged down or distracted by other things that are not priorities.
“Once we show that we can be disciplined and organized in our basic day-to-day functions, then I think the community is going to trust us to do bigger things, like affordable housing,” he said.
On the Ballot in November 2023
| CITY OF LANGLEY |
| City Council: Two of five council positions are on the ballot. Position 3: Thomas E. Gill The Whidbey News-Times reported on May 5, 2023 that Christopher Carlson, the chairperson of the Langley Finance and Personnel Commission, will run for this seat. On Tue., May 16, Kay Kenneweg filed to run for this seat as well. Position 4: Craig Cyr Councilman Cyr filed to run for re-election on Mon., May 15. Mayor Chaplin filed to run for this seat on Fri., May 19. |
| Mayor: Scott Chaplin. Mayor Chaplin was appointed after the resignation of Tim Callison. This election will be for the remainder of Chaplin’s term, which ends Dec. 31, 2023, and the succeeding four-year full term, which ends Dec. 31, 2027. In April 2023, Chaplin announced that he would not run to retain his seat. Councilman Thomas Gill filed his intention to run for mayor with the Public Disclosure Commission on May 6, 2023. Kennedy Horstman, a member of the city’s Dismantling Systemic Racism Advisory Group, announced her intention to run and filed with the PDC on May 12, 2023. |
