Latest Curated Headlines from Oak Harbor and North Whidbey

The League of Women Voters Whildbey Island (LWVWI) hosted a forum for candidates in North Whidbey from 6:30 to 8:30 PM on Tuesday, October 12, 2021. The forum consisted of three segments: North Whidbey Pool, Park, and Recreation District Commissioners, Oak Harbor City Council members, and Oak Harbor School District...

City Councilmember Joel Servatius, first appointed in 2012, is being challenged by Shane Hoffmire for the position. Both have very firm positions on issues such as affordable housing, development codes, and the recent city staff turnover. The story by Emily Gilbert in the Whidbey News-Times provides a comprehensive look at...

Editor Jessie Stensland wrote an In Our Opinion column in the Whidbey News-Times supporting the levy increase put forward by WhidbeyHealth. For more details on the proposal, see this story. They Said It Jessie Stensland: [V]oters should support an increase in a levy that helps fund operations at Whidbey Island...

The Oak Harbor City Council issued a lengthy motion that contained a long list of grievances in support of their vote of no confidence in City Administrator Blaine Oborn. The motion came following a two hour closed door executive session attended by Grant Weed, former city attorney and Anna Thompson,...

Candidates Andy Plumlee and Bryan Stucky are competing to fill the Oak Harbor City Council seat currently held by Millie Goebel, who is not seeking re-election. Both candidates have similar positions in that they feel there is a segment of the population of Oak Harbor who are not being represented...

Former Oak Harbor Mayor Scott Dudley wrote a “Sound Off” column for the Whidbey News-Times supporting Shane Hoffmire over incumbent City Councilmember Joel Servatius. The column appeared in the paper’s Oct. 9 edition. They Said It Former Mayor Scott Dudley: Oak Harbor deserves better and can not afford another four...

Oak Harbor School Board members John Diamond and Erik Mann are facing candidates Jessica Thompson and Jason Uemoto in the race for their seats in November. Both Thompson and Uemoto have been very outspoken about their opposition to the school district’s masking mandates and their virtual meetings. Both Thompson and...

Emily Gilbert reports that the Oak Harbor school board is approaching a consensus on a $183.6 million bond proposal for voter approval in Feb. 2022. The proceeds would be used to replace three elementary school buildings (Crescent Harbor, Oak Harbor, and Olympic View), the Hand-in-Hand/Home Connection Early Learning Center and...

Island County Public Hospital District No. 1, better known as WhidbeyHealth, is proposing an increase in their levy rate from $0.078 to $0.50 per $1,000 of assessed value. The proposition will appear on the ballot in this November’s election. The district, which has struggled financially particularly since the beginning of...

As Oak Harbor’s City Council election heats up, Emily Gilbert has the story on candidate endorsements by two prominent local officials. In the first endorsements of his political career, Oak Harbor Mayor Bob Severns… endorsed Shane Hoffmire, who is challenging Councilmember Joel Servatius in the November general election. The mayor...