To the editor:

While I appreciate the Record’s recent report (Nov. 14) regarding the proposal for a sign for Langley on the 525, there needs to be a correction to that article. It states that I supported Ed Jenkins’s candidacy for port commissioner. In over six years living in Langley I have not supported any candidate over any other candidate for office because I look for support for causes I believe in from as many candidates and elected officials as possible. The sign has evoked just this kind of support from several candidates and officials as well as downtown merchants and private citizens.

In fact, Mr. Jenkins and I have some important disagreements about Langley. But, fortunately, that did not stop us from working together on the Save Our Welcome to Whidbey Sign Coalition and I appreciate his support in speaking out for a sign for Langley as well.

Doing the right thing should transcend politics. Langley citizens not only use our downtown for basic needs and understand its fundamental role in the city’s economy, but also see it as a constant source of pride; a pristine example of small-town America. Many fear that without more promotion, the iconic Langley downtown, a downtown that depends on tourism, may not only shrink but may well even cease to exist in its present form.

It used to be that whenever a shop closed, someone else would just as quickly fall in love with Langley and open up a new business. More time elapses now between the two, storefronts are still vacant and businesses are still closed, including the town pharmacy (once a retail anchor) and the historic Dog House.

Freeland already has a welcome sign and Clinton will soon have its own sign. That Langley and its downtown need a distinctive sign even more is supported not just by economic conditions (including a steep decline in city retail tax revenue) but by report after report that a very significant number of visitors to the island think all the towns are along the highway and/or don’t even know Langley exists.

The sign will include a tasteful depiction of the iconic Langley downtown over the sea, the thing heard over and over again that is the main initial attraction to the city. The Campbell Road site where the sign base is already established, and was previously permitted for relocation of the Welcome to Whidbey sign, is the perfect site for the Langley sign because it gives visitors half a mile to let that vivid image sink in; time enough to make the decision to turn right at Langley Road.

Many good ideas die on the vine by haggling, political concerns and inertia. Let’s not let this happen again. The Olympics (and the significant number of visitors who choose to use the scenic route up the island rather than I-5 to Vancouver) provide a great opportunity and impetus to do this sooner rather than later. And in the long run, the sign can only benefit the Langley downtown, the city’s retail sales tax base, the marina and the economy of all of South Whidbey.

Eric Levine

Langley