Langley is less than two weeks away from its first mayoral primary in years.

The candidates — Tim Callison, Sharon Emerson, and Thomas Gill — each tout vastly different experiences and backgrounds with differing visions of how to move Langley forward and to what future. One of the three will replace Mayor Fred McCarthy, who chose not to seek re-election this November.

The mayor’s seat carries a four-year term, and pays $55,000, not including benefits.

Only the top two candidates will progress to the general election, Nov. 3. Here are the candidates and their positions, in alphabetical order.

Tim Callison

Callison said he was compelled by friends, neighbors and business owners to enter the race for Langley mayor.

His first foray into public service was applying alongside his wife to fill a vacated city council position. His wife was selected for the spot, but he’s stayed engaged in city business at council meetings and other civic functions since then.

As a full-time mayor, Callison said he would bring his decades of corporate executive leadership to City Hall. His time as a manufacturing marketing executive taught him, he said, to listen well, understand a group’s vision and future issues.

“I’m not a natural with civic politics, but I’m familiar with it in the corporate world,” he said.

What Callison described as a surprisingly virulent tone in Langley’s public discourse was one of the main reasons he decided to run for the city’s top seat.

“It’s OK to disagree, but not OK to disrespect,” he said.

In his time as an executive with Trelleborg, a seal manufacturer, Callison said he withstood plenty of criticism during mergers and acquisitions, and was used to being around emotional workers.

“I’m there with cockroaches and Keith Richards in terms of survivability,” he said.

Bringing his executive leadership to city hall is one of his great assets to the mayor’s office, he said. Having sat on several boards and creating a group’s vision from “disparate” ideas, he is used to wearing many hats and clearly articulating a direction.

Acknowledging he is a bit of a novice when it comes to the lengthy history of Langley and Whidbey Island at large, Callison said he would rely on his ability as a quick study and having strong relationships with those who know the city well to get up to speed. He referred to his confidantes and advisors as his “kitchen cabinet,” a host of people who know the town inside and out. Some of his prominent endorsements include four of the city council members and a past mayor.

On the issue of constructing a funicular, an idea previously floated and currently amended to connect people with the waterfront and downtown, Callison said he is not convinced it was the appropriate project.

“I don’t know that the funicular is the answer,” he said. “I haven’t seen any data that points me to it.”

His idea for how the city should handle the project is to start with small, community meetings. That way the public is involved earlier on in the project’s formation.

Of greater concern to Callison was the stability of the Cascade Avenue/Wharf Street bluff.

Eminent domain was not seen as a viable option, but feels conversations should be had with property owners about creating a waterfront walkway connecting the marina and Seawall Park.

An avid gardener whose home was featured in the Whidbey Island Garden Tour, Callison said he would push to have the overabundant, nuisance rabbits in Langley captured and relocated.

Sharon Emerson

Emerson made a name for herself as a consistent objector of the funicular project for the past couple of years. But she said she gets a bad rap, being labeled as being “too negative,” for critically questioning major infrastructure projects in Langley.

“Simply pointing out problems with a proposal isn’t negative,” she said.

Emerson earned the ire of some residents earlier this year when she distributed a leaflet ahead of a much anticipated public workshop on the marina access project. She also stated her desire to subvert the city’s direction of the meeting and call for a public vote. She didn’t follow through with the threat, however.

Emerson still firmly objects to seeing a funicular built or using eminent domain to create a waterfront walkway, but she promised to work cooperatively with the city council if it approves its construction. Her duty as mayor, she said, is to present the pros and cons and lay out as much information to the council as possible, and allow them to decide the city’s direction.

“If they decide to build the funicular, I won’t be very happy, but that’s what I’ll have to do,” she said.

More than just a naysayer, Emerson said she has plenty more to offer the city than being a one-issue candidate.

“Yes, that was the initial wedge, but I’m interested in initiatives that bring clear, strong benefit to the whole city, not just the businesses,” she said.

Figuring out ways to improve utility costs for residents is her top priority. She said water and sewer costs were expensive for home owners, and that the city should be looking for ways to mitigate those expenses if possible.

“There’s no incentive for conservation because the base cost is so high,” she said.

After facing plenty of criticism over her opposition to the funicular and other permanent infrastructure projects along the bluff, Emerson said she’s prepared to listen to similar comments as mayor. Part of that has come with time as the co-founder of Island Home Nursing, a home assistance company with about 100 employees based out of Freeland that has served the entire island since 1985.

“You can’t do that job without having to negotiate with people — clients, employees, families — constantly,” she said.

Her strategy for pursuing the marina access project would be to start over with stakeholder focus groups. She said talking to boaters, to people with limited mobility, residents and business owners about what they want would be the right place to start.

That idea echoed one of her open government recommendations to garner more public interest in city government. Writing plain language notices and posting them clearly on the city’s website and around town is important for letting people know topics of interest.

Regarding rabbits, Emerson said there are probably too many in town. What to do with them is a matter of public input and cost effectiveness.

Thomas Gill

Gill is the lone insider running for mayor.

He has been part of city civics for several years, first as a member of the Planning Advisory Board and most recently as a city councilman. He was voted in unopposed in November 2013.

Running for mayor was imperative to him to see that Langley “continues to be a viable place to live and work,” and ensuring the dream of founder Jacob Anthes that Langley have everything people could need and want.

“I have a love for the community and want to ensure it remains viable,” he said.

Serving the city was more about community service than politics for Gill. As mayor, he would serve as much as needed, saying the job was more than part-time but may be less than full-time. He would only take the appropriate value of the $55,000 salary, commensurate to how many hours he would spend conducting city business.

Having spent the past five years serving citizen boards and the council, Gill said he knows how City Hall operates and would be able to “hit the ground running.” He cited his recommendation to combine parallel and angle parking in the Second Street redesign as an example of how his creative thinking can help Langley.

“I certainly have some ideas about what Langley needs,” he said.

The admittedly shy, nearly lifelong Langley resident save his years in Michigan at college, said he is ready to be the face of Langley. As mayor, Gill said he is prepared to hear about problems, articulate the city’s vision and work collectively to bring about change.

One of his chief concerns is improving the city’s image as a challenging place to do business. The recent food truck rule violation being a good example, Gill said it is important for the city to clearly explain why certain rules exist and why they must be enforced.

Another project he would like to see into fruition is the city become more pedestrian friendly. Any kind of separation between pedestrians and vehicles will be an improvement to some of the outskirt areas beyond the commercial core, he said.

Gill said the city may have gotten ahead of itself with the funicular project. While he likes the idea of the bluffside track, he was uncertain it was feasible.

“I’m not sure we have the time or money to do it,” he said. “Everyone’s up to step 5 on this process, they’re way ahead.”

He did not support the city’s use of eminent domain to create a waterfront walkway, but said he would like to see the connection between Wharf Street and Seawall Park happen. He would engage with the Sunrise Lane property owners who object to the project to see if there was any way they’d be willing to budge on their current stance of opposition.

For the time being, he was pleased with the golf cart service provided by Langley Main Street Association and the Port of South Whidbey.

“Beyond that, we really need to see what the demand will be,” he said.

Gill said he liked seeing rabbits around town, but likened them to the island-wide problem with deer, “in that there are too many.” A sterilization program may be the solution, he said.