Marina Blatt reports from the Oak Harbor City Council meeting of Tue., Sep. 26, 2025 for the Whidbey News-Times. Read the whole story.
Some Oak Harbor leaders recently proposed responses to perceived problems associated with a nonprofit organization that feeds and offers assistance to homeless and other people in need at a Southwest Barlow Street facility.
Ideas presented at an Oak Harbor City Council workshop Tuesday for dealing with alleged criminal activity near SPiN Cafe included building a fence, installation of security cameras, placing a full-time police officer and creation of a drug-free district.
The conversation dominated much of Police Chief Tony Slowik’s presentation of his annual review despite his acknowledgement that calls related to SPiN Cafe are down.
They Said It
The department spends around 35 hours per week at SPiN through human services partnerships, Slowik said. This involves a co-responder program, a Recovery Navigator program, opioid outreach, housing assistance and more.
However, SPiN Cafe Executive Director Michele Hines pushed back on that assessment, saying the figures don’t reflect the reality on the ground.
“That would be an average of 7 hours per day, 5 days a week and that is just not happening,” Hines wrote in an email to the News-Times. “There are many days that we don’t see OHPD and the co-responder at all.”
She acknowledged that the Recovery Navigator Program and Island County Housing staff work regularly out of their facility, crediting its central location as a practical meeting spot. As for the opioid outreach, she said communication is generally limited to phone contact.
Councilmember James Marrow called out the influence of drug traffickers in the area, apparently referencing a drug bust not associated with SPiN Cafe.
“It is my understanding that SPiN refuses to put up a fence, am I correct?” Marrow asked and Mayor Ronnie Wright confirmed.
“I did law enforcement; I know exactly what’s going on. You don’t have to explain to me what’s going on here,” [Marrow] said. “If they’re not putting up a fence, it obviously implies that if they’re not complicit, do they stand anything to gain?”
SPiN is not uninterested in a fence, Hines wrote in an email, but the landlord doesn’t want one built. She previously said this at a community meeting attended by some council members and the mayor. She said SPiN is also seeking to implement a surveillance system but can’t currently afford cameras.
Alternatively, Councilmember Jim Woessner raised the idea of designating a full-time police officer at SPiN Cafe, considering the department’s reported 35-hour weekly presence. Slowik said such a move would be difficult.
“You know they’re not even paying for a fence or surveillance cameras or anything like that,” he said. “I don’t think they’re going to be willing to put up an officer, and I don’t think I can flex my current staffing without adding more bodies to accommodate that.”
Slowik said he will come back to council next month to discuss a “Stay Out of Designated Area” ordinance, which he believes will help the business community by identifying people who commit drug-related crimes. State law allows judges to ban certain individuals from a designated area.
Hines is in full support of the SODA plan.
“We are happy to work collaboratively with OHPD and our neighbors to keep troublemakers out of our area,” she wrote.
On the Ballot in November 2025
| CITY OF OAK HARBOR |
|---|
| Councilmember, Position 4 Barbara Armes |
| Councilmember, Position 5 James P. Marrow, the incumbent Brit Kraner Marrow was appointed to replace Shane Hoffmire until the results of the election are certified in November. |
| Councilmember, Position 6 Andy Plumlee Sandi Peterson Incumbent Jim Woessner did not file for another term. |
| Councilmember, Position 7 Bryan Stucky |
