Central Whidbey

Admiral’s Cove Water District, commissioner, position #2

Tiffany Driscoll ticklemet73@am.com did not respond

https://www.facebook.com/Tiffany-Driscoll-for-ACWD-commissioner-107720883905368/

On her facebook page she claims that the current board is failing customers by doing away with public comments at meetings, and by failing to respond to written comments. She also complains of water quality issues going unaddressed. She addresses rumors that she has a personal business interest in taking over the district, and says that she would recuse herself in the event of any possible conflict. She shows documents which indicate that commissioners are paying themselves significant per diems, up to $5k/year each. 

Dennis Egan dennis_egan@hotmail.com did not respond

I was not able to find anything about Mr Egan beyond the fact that he sits on the board of the Admiral’s Cove Community Club.

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From what little I have been able to find, it sounds as though the Admiral’s Cove Water District is in dire need of a serious shake-up and that Ms Driscoll is the person to do it. I like the fact that she backs up her assertions with actual documentation. It looks like her agenda is: clean water, good governance, and fiscal responsibility. I could definitely live with that. Given the lack of information, if I lived in Admiral’s Cove I would vote for Tiffany Driscoll.

    

Coupeville School District, director, position 3
HOT NEWS FLASH - MAJOR UPDATE. - SEE COMMENTS AT BOTTOM OF THIS SECTION.
https://www.facebook.com/brentstevens.rod.doctor

Jerry Brent Stevens, incumbent electjbstevens@gmail.com responded

1.     Why are you running for this particular position?

I am running for this position because I live in the third district.  I have two children going to Coupeville schools and I am an advocate for them and for the other children in our school district.  Each child is an individual with his or her own unique qualities and learning needs. They must be treated as such. Not one student in our community is to be forgotten! Addressing individual learning needs and the collective needs of the schools, creates an environment in which the child can learn, grow and develop successfully. A child must enjoy learning or they will not be effective learners. As a board member I am working to ensure a good learning environment, with attention to the individual, in our schools.  I am working with the other Directors on the board for our community and for our children. I have seen other school districts and how they impact the children's lives, positively or negatively, far beyond their educational years. I had an experience in my early school days that impacted how I responded as a student and what I thought about school for the rest of my primary and secondary education. I did very well on my school work, completing it early. Unfortunately, the class was too big and I was not given more to challenge me.  I got bored and found things to do that were not constructive or helpful to the class. I inadvertently disrupted the class and was punished for not being obedient and sitting quietly and still while the rest of the class did their work. If my individual needs had been addressed, I would have been given the opportunity to be challenged and learn more and do more. Instead, at the end of the year, because of the behavioral issues, I was held back in school and “failed” first grade. My parents tried to advocate for me but they got nowhere with a school district that didn’t address the individual learning needs of their students. This experience has impacted me for my entire life.  I do not wish for this kind of experience or any other negative experience for any student. A child must have a positive environment to enjoy learning or they will not be effective learners. 

2.     What do you hope to accomplish in this position? 

I hope to continue to work with the Board of Directors to see that every child and community member is given the best opportunity for learning and to be successful in life. If I am allowed to continue to work on the Coupeville School District Board of Directors, I hope to continue the work that we have been doing--that is, we are guiding and directing an excellent district to look out for our kids’ social, physical, emotional and intellectual well-being. As an incumbent, I have been part of a team that is helping make a better learning experience for our children in this community. This is not a glory position and I have no political agenda. Nor do I, or should I, have a single person’s or group’s platform to push forward. During my term as a board member we have hired a new Superintendent of Coupeville Schools. We have overseen the implementation of a scratch-made food program. In addition, we approved the hiring of a Special Education Director to improve our ability to serve our children with learning disabilities and other handicaps. This will help them to be able to realize their full potential and be more productive members of our community. 

During the term I have served with this Board, our graduation rates have been nearly 100%. In recognition of the importance of technology now and in the future, we as a board have mandated that the school district continue to keep a “one to one I.T. ratio” meaning every student in the school district has access to their own computer for use in the classroom. More than just the ratio, as a condition when approving the hire of a new Director of IT, the board stipulated to the Superintendent that staff and teachers were to be trained and provided services so that they would know how to make the best use out of the technology.  While I have worked with the board, we have approved and supported the creation of a health and wellness task force and a Safety task force made up of a representative sample of parents, teachers, community members, and administrators, with input from our students. These are simply examples of some of the work that we have been doing that I hope to be able to continue.

3.     What problems do you see that you expect to correct or alleviate?

Alcohol and drug abuse along with other mental and emotional health issues are prevalent in our schools.  I would like to advocate addressing these issues with earlier education and intervention. Bullying is a very insidious and real problem that the students face at every turn.  They encounter it on-line, in the classroom, from their peers and even their teachers and leaders. We need to address this issue and have zero tolerance to these behaviors. We need more educational programs and opportunities available to meet the unique needs of the students that offer flexible learning options and courses we are unable to offer.  This could be accomplished with affordable on-line or virtual classes. I would also like to see the performing arts programs strengthened and developed and more STEM programs and opportunities. I would also like to address the aging infrastructure such as the elementary school and continued improvement and maintenance of the buildings and grounds.

4.     What relevant experience do you have?

I am a parent of four children.  I have navigated schools and school systems in the Rocky Mountain and Pacific Northwest areas with our first two children and am currently a parent of two children in Coupeville schools.  I have successfully served on the Coupeville School District Board of Directors for two years. I have over 27 years of service in the Boy Scouts of America in various positions including leadership and on committees and also served as a youth leader for my church for over 20 years.  I served as a student and a staff member of various university committees at Boise State University including creating and implementing training for compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act at the University. I have served, and am currently serving on various task forces for Central Whidbey Island Fire and Rescue.  Previous work experience includes over 15 years in Management for various business and service industries. I understand managing and leading people. I am one who believes that you lead by example. Hands-on, close leadership, not absent leadership, is important. I have the ability to be objective and look at all sides of the issues and then make my recommendations.  I have the desire to serve this community by serving our students through supporting and advocating for our children. I have the personal and professional background to provide a well-rounded and thoughtful approach to administering my responsibilities as a School Board Director.

5.     What will be your operating philosophy in office?

I believe it is so important to support and advocate for our children as holistic individuals.  We need to address their intellectual/educational needs through high quality, flexible learning programs and with top notch educators. We should address their mental and emotional well-being through early education and intervention to prevent problems such as bullying, physical, sexual and emotional abuse, drug and alcohol use, and mental health issues such as suicide. For their social well-being, we honor them as unique individuals with their own needs, feelings, experiences and opinions. Their environment should be supportive and the student should feel safe to share and interact with their school community.  By treating the children holistically, we can help prepare them to become solid community members with bright futures.  

6.     What message would you like to convey to voters?

As a representative of the people in District 3, I invite input and counsel in how to accomplish this mission from those I represent. I have no personal political agenda.  My desire to continue as District 3 School Board Director is to serve the students and community of the Coupeville School District to the best of my ability. I will work hard with the other board members to bring about a great school experience and education for the children in our community.  The people we serve are more than just the students of the school district. We have a relationship and responsibility to the whole community. By serving the children in the way I have outlined, I am serving and building a strong community for tomorrow. If what I hold important and want to accomplish resonates with you, and if you agree that we have a great community and even greater potential in our children by developing them holistically, please vote for me to continue as the District 3 Coupeville School Board Director.

Brent Stevens was appointed to the board effective December 18, 2017. Brent is sem-retired and is a volunteer firefighter at Central Whidbey Fire and Rescue. He is married and a father to four children with one daughter at Coupeville Elementary and one daughter at Coupeville Middle school. His term expires in 2019.

Sherry Phay hellocsd3@gmail.com

Hi, thank you for reaching out (twice).  Running for School Board is a brand new experience for me and I'm learning a lot as I go.  Thank you for your persistence and patience.

1. Why are you running for this particular position? 

During last year’s teacher wage negotiations, I became very aware of how little I knew about how our school system worked and how many opportunities I, as a parent, tax payer and voter, could advocate for my kids, school staff and our school district’s programs. The more I learned (am still learning) and the more I’ve become involved in our community I started to see practices we could improve upon, update, and on some issues, seriously look at to include.  Running for school board hadn’t occurred to me as I had seen no advertising for the three (three!) board position openings this year.  By that time, I had already made a commitment to myself to increase my own awareness and advocacy when the suggestion was made to me to run for School Board, that I would have an actual vote on the issues important to me – namely, Social and Emotional Learning and transparency with the public who are responsible for choosing the School Board Director.

2.     What do you hope to accomplish in this position?  

            I’d like to work with the rest of the Directors to increase transparency of the activity of the Board so they can get the support and acknowledgment they need to optimize the many ways a School Board can work for their community, current and future students, and similar communities in our state.  The fact that School Board Directors are a volunteer position blows my mind, given the scope of their responsibilities. To hear directly from the community they serve has the potential to make them more powerful and invested advocates. Coupeville does have a challenge of apathy when it comes to parent participation, the cause of which is multi-faceted.  I think the school district can do more to engage and connect.

  

          As a medical professional who works within our community as well as a volunteer in our schools and community, I see the need for formal, age appropriate Social and Emotional Learning.  It needs to start in Kindergarten or even preschool.  The lack of formal language in the District’s Continuous Improvement Plan is concerning that they are not seeing this as a priority and need of our students now and by graduation.  This lack of formal language could also be indicative of the need for diversity within the school board panel.  Likely, both.

3.     What problems do you see that you expect to correct or alleviate?

   If I am not able to accomplish my hopes (in question 2) as a member of the School Board within the 4 years of my term then yes, that would be a problem.  The current Board has done a great job of providing a standard but I believe they too can achieve more as a Board that reaches beyond standard expectations toward a higher level of performance (to borrow from their own words in their Continuous Improvement Plan).

4.     What relevant experience do you have?  

  Assessing and addressing the current status with an eye to the future while being familiar with the past in order to create best practices.  Yes, I can do that and have been my entire professional career.  The parallels between School Board Director and Nursing patients receiving cutting edge treatment is uncanny.  Stepping back and getting the big picture.  The ability to listen, contribute and work as a team, the willingness to ask questions and being open to learning new concepts and ideas.  These are all primary responsibilities of nursing, heck with being a parent and caregiver for that matter, that I feel can be incorporated and used as a School Board Director.  

5.     What will be your operating philosophy in office?

  Empower and connect through listening, believing, transparency,  and education.

6.     What message would you like to convey to voters? 

  Voting for me is answering a call to action, a willingness to become more involved, which may look differently from one person to the next – I get that. The School Board Director Position is a volunteer position that is voted in by the public because they represent the public.  Stay involved.  Your input matters.  It's needed and necessary for a School Director to best fulfill their obligations.

Thank you for your time and this opportunity to share.

Sincerely, Sherry Phay

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An astute reader pointed me to Mr Stevens' personal Facebook page, https://www.facebook.com/brentstevens.rod.doctor highlighted above. Oh me oh my. Seems the gentleman was less that candid in his responses to my questions.  His Facebook page reflects a Trump loving, gun loving, immigrant hating, LGBTQ hating male chauvinist who believes children should be taught his favorite religion. There is no way I could support such a person in charge of educating children.

Here's what I wrote before I saw that Facebook page:

So why is it that good people run for the same school board positions? I have met neither of these candidates, but I really like what both of them have to say. How to choose? I leave this to you who live in the district and may know one or both of these candidates.

My revised opinion, given this new information, is that I would vote for Sherry Phay in a hot flash.

Coupeville School District, position 4

Glenda Merwine incumbent cgmerwine@gmail.com no response

2000 – 2005 principal at Coupeville Elementary.

2005 – director of student learning

Glenda Merwine was appointed to the board in January 2013. She was elected in November of 2013 to finish out the term, and then re-elected in 2015. Mrs. Merwine was the Coupeville Elementary School principal for five years and served as the district’s Director of Student Learning for two years. She currently supervises student teachers for Seattle Pacific University and the University of Phoenix. Glenda is also a leadership coach for the Association of Washington School Principals. She is the board vice-president, her term expires 2019.

In 2017, the Coupeville School Board, including Ms Merwine, received a Board of Distinction award from a state educational body. 

David Mahaffy electmahaffy@gmail.com http://elect.mahaffy.org/   no response

From his website: “I am running for school board as an advocate for the taxpayer and fiscal responsibility.” Complains that schools use too much $. Came to island in 2015. His experience is as a church board elder, HOA board member, and water association board member. He is a software developer. 

Neither of these candidates responded to my Politiblog request. Boo to both on that count. Made me go do a whole lot of research.  What I found is that Ms Merwine has a long and evidently illustrious history in education. She has taught, supervised, and currently coaches new teachers. And she’s been on the school board since 2013.

Mr Mahaffy seems to be a one-issue kind of guy. The only thing he talks about is money – ‘fiscal responsibility.’ I could not find a single word about the students or staff and their needs.

If I were voting in the Coupeville School District, I would vote for Glenda Merwine. 

Port of Coupeville, commissioner, district 1

David Day, incumbent vote4day@icloud.com

1. Why am I running?

My primary reason for running is that I think the Port of Coupeville could do a better job of focusing on what it needs to accomplish with the funds that it is given. I believe that attention should be focused on the rehabilitation of the Coupeville Wharf which has suffered from considerable deferred maintenance for more than twenty years. Returning the wharf to a more sound condition is a key to maintaining and enhancing both historical and economic viability

within the Port District.

2. What do I hope to accomplish?

I was appointed to fill this position in May of this year. I made it clear at that time that I thought the focus of the Port should be to rectify the years of neglect at the Coupeville Wharf. My hope for the next four years would first be to see the substructure of the wharf strengthened through the repair and replacement of the many pilings and pile caps that have been determined to be in need of that work. The Port was awarded a Rural Economic Development Fund    ( .09 ) Grant recently that will assist greatly in that project, but seeing the engineering and permitting and actual construction through may take a good part of the next two years. Once the substructure, the foundation, of the wharf is repaired work needs to begin on the actual wharf structure itself. Built in 1905 this iconic historical structure is one of the last remaining Mosquito Fleet Era wharfs in what is now the Salish Sea. Its story is an important part of the  maritime and agricultural stories of this part of our state and of our country. It is, along with Ebey’s Landing itself, perhaps the most important public structure remaining in Ebey’s Landing National Historical Reserve. It deserves better than it has gotten, and the Port, as its steward needs to honor that place in history by taking better care of it.

So that is what I hope to begin accomplishing. Assessing the needs of the structure, listening to the taxpayers, weighing the desires of many to expand its capabilities and the historical place that it holds within the Reserve are part of that process. It is not one that will get accomplished overnight. All this while trying to keep the Greenbank Farm, the other major asset of the Port, and the small historic building at 24 Front Street in Coupeville viable, functioning contributors to Central Whidbey’s economic and historical landscape.

3. Problems?

Because the Port operates primarily on a tax levy of approximately eighteen cents per thousand dollars of assessed property value within its boundaries, financial difficulties have plagued the Port for many years. With the recent ‘pay-off’ of the Greenbank Farm and the move to have the Port manage the Farm itself in the last few years, there is now more money, in excess of one hundred and fifty thousand dollars that is, in effect, coming back to the Port.

The allocation of those funds is ultimately the responsibility of the Board of Commissioners.For me, making sure that the Coupeville Wharf gets its fair share of those long awaited dollars is very important. Additionally, finding, and/or developing other sources of funds so that the properties do not continue to have rectifications deferred is equally important.

4. Relevant experience?

I moved to Coupeville in 2002 after partnering in a fine dining restaurant in Mount Vernon from 1988 to late 2000. At that time my partner, both in business and life, Michele, passed away after a 3 year fight with cancer. I moved to Whidbey to ‘semi retire’. I had worked in virtually every aspect of small, higher end restaurants - from waiter, to chef, to manager, to owner – for nearly 30 years by then. The world of small independently owned restaurants is a petri dish for careful management of funds and the elimination of waste. It also is very dependent on making

sure that your customers, your clients, are well served, perceive value, and come back to your tables.

That said, I came to Coupeville very interested in being a part of the community. I attended town council meetings even before I moved here, and continued to do so for a number of years. Shortly after moving here, I filled out an application, and was appointed to the Coupeville Planning Commission. I served on the planning commission for more than ten years and for many of those years was the chair of the group. I learned a lot about the way a small

government entity works during that time. Planning Commissions are subject to the Open Public Meetings requirements of the State. Planning commissioners, while appointed, are subject to all the rules and regulations any small government body are subject to. They perform both legislative and judicial functions. Learning to listen, learning the rules, learning the appropriate codes and conditions and having an understanding of them as they relate to development and the historical nature of our community was an important aspect of holding that position, and keeping it for as long as I did - as well as learning to run an effective and productive meeting within the boundaries of the codes governing public meetings. In 2015, after volunteering at the Port for the better part of a year, I applied to fill a vacancy left by Tim McDonald when he resigned as the Executive Director of the Port. I was offered the

position, accepted it, and managed the business of the Port for that year to fill out Tim’s contract. 2015 was something of a tumultuous and some would say contentious year at the Port, but a lot was accomplished as well.

Final work on the installation of a new fueling float was completed. A grant from County Rural Economic Development Funds was awarded for the replacement fuel lines running from the upland portion of the Ports

property on Front Street to the fueling equipment on the wharf That project was put out for bid and completed by the end of the year A grant application was submitted and awarded for monies to study the

substructure of the Coupeville Wharf. That project was put out for bid and completed by the end of the year. The basis of that study is at the heart of the project now being undertaken - albeit four years later - to repair and replace many of the pilings and pile caps that support the wharf. This project is estimated to cost very close to one million dollars at completion.

Negotiations with the Greenbank Farm Management Group were ongoing through of 2015 in the hopes of arriving at some agreement that would benefit the Port, the Farm and the management group, but by late summer/early fall of the year it was determined by the Board of Commissioners in a two to one vote that the Port would have to ‘take back’ the Farm, to manage it itself, and thus retain the nearly fifty thousand dollars it was paying out annually as a management fee and also collect and retain the nearly eighty thousand dollars in annual rent revenue from commercial tenants that had gone to the management group as well. This decision, while difficult and contentious, led to the Port taking over management of farm the following year. While it was a difficult transition, and there were a number of bumps in the road, the Farm seems to be running well and is generating nearly one hundred thousand dollars in revenue through tenant rents and public and private events that pay for the use of the farm facilities.

My contract ended at the end of 2015. I had learned much about the machinations of the Port, but two new commissioners were elected that fall, both running without opposition, and they chose to seek another executive director at that time. Also relevant, I believe, I was on the first board of directors of Friends of Ebey’s, the non-profit

organization that supports outreach and education for the Trust Board of Ebey’s Landing National Historical Reserve. A primary focus for this group is raising funds to support the annual Ebey’s Forever Grants. These grants assist property owners, both public and private, with the stabilization and preservation of historically important structures within Ebey’s Landing National Historical Reserve. I served as President of Friends for two years.

5. Operating philosophy?

My philosophy is that patience, sharing truth, asking questions, doing homework, getting more than one viewpoint, and encouraging input make for good decision making.

6. My message to voters.

The Port of Coupeville is the steward of two very important properties involved in the agricultural, maritime, and economic history of Whidbey Island. Preservation of these important structures - the Coupeville Wharf and the historic barns (and landscapes) at the Greenbank Farm are equally important looking at the future of Whidbey Island. I think I bring the right mix of experience and concern for the community to the Port’s Board of Commissioners. I hope to build a coalition to find the resources necessary to accomplish the challenge.

Roger Eelkema rogereelkema@comcast.net

1. Why I am running for Port Commissioner

I am interested in serving as Port Commissioner because I support the mission statement which is:

"to exercise the powers authorized by Washington state law to sustain and enhance the economic and environmental health of the port district through activities consistent with it's values".

I understand that port commissioners of Coupeville serve as stewards of two iconic, historical jewels- the wharf and the Greenbank Farm - both needing attention to maintain and foster business.

As a commissioner I would focus my attention on:

*repair and restoration of the Coupeville wharf

* maintaining the port's real estate properties in a safe and healthy state

*work towards the port being an "incubator" for existing and new businesses and encourage their sustainability

2. Relevant Experience

I bring experience for this position through strong ties to the community over my lifetime having been raised here and graduating from Coupeville High School. My commitment to  serve the community has long roots starting in 1976 when I joined a Citizen's  Advisory  group, and along with the Town  Planner, we created a new comprehensive plan for the Town . In the mid 1970's I served on the Town Planning Commission. In 1979, a twelve member committee was formed to represent the citizen's input to  the newly designated Ebey' s landing National Reserve. I was appointed to that committee by the Coupeville Town mayor.

Over the past forty years I have developed two successful businesses in Coupeville with partners. For the past ten years I have served as an elected water commissioner in the Rhodena Beach community. These experiences have taught me about the need for fiscal responsibility to the people I represent.

5. Operating Philosophy

My operating philosophy is to communicate honestly and openly, be well prepared, research, and LISTEN. Finding common ground in discussions and maintaining civility is important to me. When

situations arise that may be difficult I am known as someone who will  "the problem" to find a solution.

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I have not, to my knowledge, met either candidate. I have their responses to my questions and what little I was able to find on line. My impression is that Mr Day has had the time and experience to know what the job is about, to understand the finer details of how to make things work, and to have the dedication necessary to do the job. I’m not at all clear on Mr Eelkema’s motivation. He is part of one of the old families on the prairie, and with that comes a certain sense of right and duty. I suspect he would do a reasonably good job in the position, but do not see either the drive or the imagination which the district needs to take it to the next level. I feel like I need more information, but lacking that, if I voted in the Coupeville district I would vote for David Day.