2010 Election

Island County was swept over by a blue tide in the 2006 and 2008 elections, with wins that gave Democrats control of half of the county’s total partisan seats in 2006 and a majority vote countywide for the party’s presidential candidate in 2008 — the first time since Lyndon B. Johnson was elected in 1964.

Democrats also won two county commissioner seats in 2008 and took total control of the board of commissioners.

This year, eight-of-10 positions are up for grabs in county government. Those seats are currently held by three Republicans and five Democrats. Island County Commissioner John Dean, Assessor Dave Mattens, County Clerk Patricia Terry, Prosecuting Attorney Greg Banks and Treasurer Linda Riffe are Democrats; Auditor Sheilah Crider, Sheriff Mark Brown and Coroner Robert Bishop are Republicans.

So far, only Brown, Dean and Mattens have registered as candidates for this year’s general election.

Will the blue tide start to recede this year?

The Island County Republican Party was flush with new energy and activism in 2009, with members taking active stances against a tax increase for Island Transit and special assessments to help fund the county’s conservation district. Party members also populated the ranks of the newly formed Whidbey Island Tea Party, which participated in protests and other public events throughout the year.

Most recently, Republicans vigorously opposed budget cuts to the Island County Sheriff’s Office.

Also this coming year, both seats in the 10th Legislative District in the House of Representatives will be on the ballot.

Both seats are held by Republicans; Rep. Barbara Bailey of Oak Harbor and Norma Smith of Clinton.

The pair have already started fundraising for the 2010 campaign. Bailey has raised more than $44,000 for this year’s race, and Smith, more than $23,000 through the last week of December.

Both lawmakers, however, will not be able to raise campaign cash during the 2010 Legislative Session, which starts on Jan. 11 and runs through March 11.

Langley development regulations

Langley’s longstanding moratorium against new subdivisions — in place since June 2007 — is set to expire on April 7.

But residents and property owners can expect to see greater regulatory burdens placed on development before that happens: The city’s Planning Advisory Board has been working on a set of extensive, detailed rules for how land can be subdivided and developed in the city, and much of the regulations covering what can be built, and where will get a massive overhaul in the months ahead.

The council is expected to make major policy decisions — including a revamping of zoning in the Village by the Sea — in 2010.

Councilman Robert Gilman has told his fellow council members it will possibly be “the biggest policy initiative any of us will be participating in on our time on the council.”

Langley’s economy

Langley’s rightful obsession on its downtown will continue this year, and for good reason.

Business has dipped to the point where local merchants have been harping about parking downtown: There’s too much of it.

Many are noting how not so long ago, a lack of parking in Langley’s commercial core was fueling complaints. Now, the joke is, you could fire a cannon down the main drag and no one would notice.

The few empty storefronts downtown, the seemingly drawn-out closure of the Dog House, and the loss of Linds, are now really footnotes to the larger story in Langley. Business owners and others are examining what’s financially feasible in a town with a small population growing grayer, a seasonal and sometimes fickle tourist influx, and the new thrift economy.

What to do next will take center stage later this month at an “Experience Economy” workshop at the Clyde Theatre.

Presented by the Langley Chamber of Commerce and city leaders, the workshop grew out of discussions by the Mayor’s Council on Economic Health. Councilman Russell Sparkman, the organizer of the new media conference in Langley in September that attracted experts and attendees from across the country, will give the opening remarks, and the day is expected to be the first of many discussions in 2010 about what it will take to create a prosperous Langley.

Diking District 1 pump project

The extended dispute over a controversial $430,000 pump project in Diking District 1 will start to boil over in the coming weeks, with a Superior Court hearing later this month on a lawsuit against the district brought by disgruntled residents.

And in early February, John Shepard, the diking commissioner who has sided with the district’s most vocal critics on the pump project, will seek reelection to the seat.

Some residents within Diking District 1 say diking district commissioners did not fairly spread out the cost of the pump among property owners in the area. Some also say the pump is lowering wetlands near Useless Bay and hurting wildlife habitat.

South Whidbey Marina pushes for destination status

The Port of South Whidbey will be working hard to get the marina closer to the goal of a destination spot for Puget Sound boaters this year.

Progress is being made.

When the port took over the Langley marina one year ago, everyone — commissioners and port staff alike — expected to end the first year in the red.

To everyone’s surprise, the figures through November revealed the port has shown a $25,000 profit. From the start, commissioners insisted on the need to keep the marina financially self-sustaining.

Port financial consultant Dane Anderson said the increased revenue is due to higher occupancy, a smarter collections process and a full-time, on-site presence at the harbor.

“Having a harbormaster in place to direct operations has been a key strategy,” Anderson said. “Rick (Brewer) has done an excellent job. Even with the expenses to upgrade the facility, we’ll be coming out ahead and expect to do better in 2010.”

The next step is to begin construction on the first phase of the marina plan — more slips equals higher revenue, both for the port and local businesses.

The port currently has 120 boat owners on the list for a permanent slip.

Port Commissioner Geoff Tapert said this week that, provided the port could finalize all needed federal, state and tribal permits, work on Phase I of the marina could begin in earnest by late September or October.

“If all goes well, we may be installing pilings and deploying the breakwater,” Tapert said.

Including the 34 existing slips, by early 2011 the port will have 45 new tie-ups. As financing becomes available, that number will rise to 59 slips.

South Whidbey School District restructuring continues

The South Whidbey School District has a lot on its plate this year, and the operative word is “consolidation.”

In July, the school board voted 4-1 to close Langley Middle School as soon as possible, but no later than September 2012. Students and programs are to be moved — consolidated — onto the high school campus.

Over the next five months, the school board must decide how to allocate the district’s scarce resources and how much money is needed before the district asks voter approval for a long-term bond issue on May 18.

Total cost for the move ranges from an estimated $10 million to $30 million.

The district can’t pinpoint a number until details of the move are known.

The board is moving ahead, assigning Mike Johnson to lead a transition committee that will offer its preliminary report to the board later this month.

The committee is composed of principals, teachers, staff members, parents, business leaders, administrators and architects.

“Many details need to be worked out by the committee,” Johnson said. “We are looking at what’s best for our students against what the community can afford.”

Closing LMS was the essential element of District Superintendent Fred McCarthy’s restructuring plan, in response to declining enrollment, reduced state funding and a $1.85 million budget shortfall.