By Brian Kelly
Herald Writer
COUPEVILLE — The big issue driving many mainland campaigns — growth — has come into port here.
Three positions on the five-member Coupeville town council are up for grabs on Nov. 6, and the most visible race pits an established councilman against a well-spoken challenger.
Coupeville voters aren’t the only ones in Island County to choose who will fill council seats at city hall in the general election early next month. Two council seats are in play in Langley, and seven candidates are vying for five positions on the Oak Harbor council. Almost 70 other candidates are also offering to serve their communities on school boards, fire district boards and other governing bodies.
In Coupeville, the fastest-growing town in Island County over the past decade, growth figures prominently in the debate over the city’s future. Looking to return to his Position 5 seat, councilman Phillip Williamson said it’s important that growth in the historic town be well managed to protect Coupeville’s quality of life.
"I have nothing against growth as long as it is within the ordinances and it’s coordinated and planned," he said.
Williamson has proposed reducing the number of water-rights permits in town by more than half, from 144 to 60, by eliminating those for owners of vacant lots who don’t already have commitments to hook up to the water system.
He called the move a safety measure that would preserve some capacity in the town’s water system.
Even with the new restriction, he said enough water rights would still be available for builders for the next seven or eight years. Those caught without, though, would have to reduce the density of their developments or find someone willing to sell their water system connection rights.
Williamson, 75, a retired Navy electronics engineer, also said he is opposed to expanding Coupeville’s water distribution system outside the town’s limits. A former planning commissioner, he said he doesn’t support impact fees for streets and schools, but did vote for park impact fees.
Roxallane Medley, who also is running for the Position 5 seat, agrees that water and growth are the big issues facing Coupeville.
"I am not a no-growth proponent, but I am one for sustainable growth," Medley said. She has lived on Whidbey Island since 1985 and has been a Coupeville resident since 1996.
"Sustainable growth is growth that takes into account not only the natural resources of an area but the human resources; the ability to support and sustain what’s already here."
Coupeville’s water situation, which reached crisis proportions about five years ago when a building moratorium was passed, will need to be battled on several fronts. The town’s water comes from a well system that’s fed by rainwater, and more wells means more potential that saltwater will intrude into the freshwater aquifer. Besides quality, there are supply issues, too, such as quantity and cost.
The solution, Medley said, is not drilling more wells, but trying to educate Coupeville’s water users about source limitations, conservation and other water issues.
"We haven’t come together as a solid group. I believe we need to come together as one unit; town council, design and planning commissions. Everyone needs to work together … and not piecemeal these things."
"We need a common vision, and we need to work toward it in the same way," she said.
For Medley, 56, it’s her first shot at elected office. She has been an elementary school teacher for 16 years, and before that, spent 16 years as a symphony violinist.
"It’s time to take that big step and jump into that political soup," Medley said. "I’d like to have a voice, and I wanted to really involve other people in the community."
That commitment to the community is also what’s inspired Williamson to seek another term. That’s good because the council positions are voluntary, receiving no pay.
"We enjoy living in Coupeville so much that I want to give something back to the community," Williamson said. "Being a councilman allows me to help retain Coupeville the way we want it retained."
You can call Herald Writer Brian Kelly at 425-339-3422 or send e-mail to kelly@heraldnet.com.
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