A PLAY PREMIERES Islander brings acclaimed novel to the stage. Page 12
NEWS | Parks calls for new board
COSTUMES ON PARADE The young, and young at heart, have Halloween fun. Page 17
to resolve dance debate. Page 21 OPINION | A man’s take on domestic violence. Page 6 BUSINESS | Unique salon opens in Vashon Village. Page 22
BEACHCOMBER VASHON-MAURY ISLAND
WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 2, 2011
Vol. 56, No. 41
www.vashonbeachcomber.com
Orcas put on a killer show
75¢
Fire board candidates spend thousands in spirited race By NATALIE JOHNSON Staff Writer
As the Nov. 8 election day draws near, two candidates for Vashon Island Fire & Rescue’s board are finishing one of the most publicly fought contests on Vashon in recent memory. And the very visible buttons, yard signs, newspaper ads and brochures produced in their campaigns have prompted supporters of each candidate to inquire into the other’s spending. Both candidates chose to limit their fundraising to $5,000, an option that means they won’t have to report their finances to the state. Candy McCullough, who was appointed to Position 4 on the board in June and is running to retain it, said she has spent
about $3,440 on her campaign so far, which has included mailing full-color brochures to Island residents. Though she has a “donate” button on her website, McCullough said she isn’t much of a fundraiser and has never asked any individuals for money. She has brought in about $1,550 in donations and $40 in in-kind contributions and spent about $1,850 of her own money. Joe Ulatoski, a retired Army brigadier general who is challenging McCullough for Position 4, has spent nearly the same amount on his campaign — about $3,680 — but has covered most of his expenses with donated funds. Ulatoski, who sent letters and SEE ELECTION, 5
An old Vashon schoolhouse gets landmark protection Scenes from Point Robinson: Top left, adult male L78 (Gaia) breaches (photo by Maya Sears). Top right, a man photographs a dramatic dive (photo by Meg McDonald). Bottom, dorsal fins in a row show the whales in a playful formation (photo by Andrew Uber). Those lucky enough to visit Point Robinson Friday afternoon saw a rare and remarkable scene in the waters off-shore: Some 80 killer whales, members of all three Southern Resident pods, passed by, cavorting, breaching and spy-hopping while children squealed and adults exclaimed. Mark Sears, a West Seattle resident and longtime whale researcher, said such “super pods” come together about once a year. But what was special Friday was not simply the sheer number of whales; it was also their behavior. Instead of feeding, the whales, he said, were socializing. As a result, those on the shores saw dramatic leaps, synchronized dives and courtship behavior, much of it extremely close to the shore. “It was just one great big social event,” said Sears, who was in a boat with his daughter Maya collecting fecal matter as part of his research for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. “Every conceivable behavior whales display we observed that day. It was quite remarkable.” Sears said the whales — which were listed as endangered under the federal Endangered Species Act in 2005 — were likely on the trail of chum salmon and other prey.
“It was a hunting trip,” Sears said Both Sears and Ann Stateler, who runs the Vashon Hydrophone Project, which records whales’ underwater vocalizations as part of an ongoing research effort, said nearly every member of the three pods that make up the Southern Resident group were present. Easily, both said, there were 80 whales or more. “It was an extraordinary encounter, even for those of us who have been studying these whales for decades,” Stateler said. And it was an extraordinary encounter for Islanders who stood on the shore, such as Andrew Uber, who snapped about 600 photos. Uber, an amateur photographer who lives with his wife at Glen Acres, said his wife saw the whales heading south from their back deck. Uber, his wife and her parents, who were visiting from India, jumped in a car and headed to Point Robinson. They got their in time to watch the whales pass by, a migration that lasted 20 minutes. “I’ve taken a lot of photographs. But I’ve never had my heart pounding quite like that,” Uber said. “It was incredible. I’ve never seen anything like it.” — Leslie Brown
By LESLIE BROWN Staff Writer
Over the years, Kathy and Phil Johnson have had a handful of strangers knock on the door of their modest but charming home tucked among the Douglas firs on Wax Orchard Road. The last surprise visitor, nearly a decade ago, appeared on their doorstep with her adult children beside her. “I went to school here,” she told them through tears when they opened the door. The Johnsons are quiet people who moved to Vashon 23 years ago because they prized their privacy. But it just so happens that the home they purchased more than two decades ago is also the former Lisabeula Schoolhouse, which served countless Island children from 1925 to 1936. And last week, in recognition of the home’s place in Island history, Julie Koler, King County’s preservation officer, went before the King County Landmarks Commission at the Johnsons’ behest, seeking landmark status
for the old schoolhouse. The commission unanimously approved the request, making the Lisabeula Schoolhouse the first of Vashon’s once numerous schoolhouses to attain that status and the first landmark designation on Vashon in seven years. The Johnsons are pleased. Though private, they love their old house, painted a high-gloss cherry red with white trim and boasting a wide front porch with amply sized double doors. As the house nears its centennial anniversary, Phil said, he thought it only appropriate to honor its history by placing it on the county’s list of historic landmarks. “I’m thrilled to death,” he said. Kathy, too, is ecstatic. “I fell in love with this house before it was for sale,” she recalled. The couple looked at several old houses when they decided to move to Vashon from West Seattle 23 years ago, they said, but none had the warmth or sense of privacy as this one. SEE SCHOOLHOUSE, 21