NEWS-TIMES WHIDBEY
WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 16, 2011 | Vol. 120, No. 92 | WWW.WHIDBEYNEWSTIMES.COM | 75¢
Inside: Meet Whidbey’s newest mayor. A 11
Emerson loses bid to lead commissioners By JESSIE STENSLAND Staff reporter
Justin Burnett / Whidbey News-Times
Peter Driftmeyer steps ashore Monday after being rescued from his sailboat near the Coupeville boat launch. The 46-year-old had been stranded on his vessel since Saturday evening.
Man stranded at sea rescued By JUSTIN BURNETT Staff reporter
A Coupeville man was rescued from his sailboat Monday after being stranded aboard the vessel for more than a day. Peter Driftmeyer, 46, said he has been living on his boat for about five years. Moored about 100 yards out from the Coupeville boat launch on NE Ninth Street, the man uses a small skiff to travel to and from shore. However, large waves in Penn Cove Saturday evening caused the small craft to come free. With no phone and the larger boat’s sails and motor not functional, Driftmeyer spent all of Sunday stranded. By Monday morning, he began waving his arms in the hopes of flagging down a ride from a passing fisherman. “I had to get someone’s attention,” Driftmeyer said. Well, someone did notice, but it was
no fisherman. According to Coupeville Deputy Marshal Adrian Kuschnereit, a nearby resident saw Driftmeyer’s motions for aid and reported it at Town Hall. “Everybody kinda knows him and a few try and check up on him,” Kuschnereit said. Driftmeyer is often seen walking through town and is easily recognizable by his beard and backpack. The call for a marine rescue went out over the air waves, hitting the radios of emergency responders across Central Whidbey, and it wasn’t long before the parking lot was a hub of activity. Kuschnereit, a Whidbey General Hospital ambulance crew, and firefighters from Central Whidbey Fire and Rescue, with one fire engine and a rescue truck pulling the department’s boat, all responded to the call. “All of a sudden, all these flashing lights were in the parking lot,”
Driftmeyer said. A few minutes later, the stranded liveaboard was safely on land having been picked up by the department’s rescue boat. While grateful for the assistance, Driftmeyer said he was a little worried those flashing lights would turn into dollar signs. He was relieved to learn that the fire department does not send out bills to rescue victims. “It’s such a nice service to have,” Driftmeyer said. “They have your back.” This is the second time Driftmeyer has been rescued from his sailboat. About two years ago, his boat came free of its mooring and was in danger of running aground at the head of Penn Cove with him aboard. At that time, a U.S. Coast Guard cutter was dispatched but a workboat from the mussel farm arrived first and towed Driftmeyer and his boat to the Coupeville Wharf.
Island County Commissioner Kelly Emerson was snubbed by her colleagues on the board when she sought to become the new chairwoman Monday, further stoking hard feelings between her and the other two commissioners. “You’re out of line in implying that I’m not doing an adequate job and I resent it,” Emerson said in response to Commissioner Angie Homola’s explanation of why she felt Emerson wasn’t ready for the position. Under long-held tradition, it should have been Emerson’s turn to take on the chairperson position. The chairmanship normally rotates each year. Commissioner Angie Homola was chairwoman this year and Commissioner Helen Price Johnson was chairwoman the year before, so Emerson was up. Yet Price Johnson and Homola expressed doubts about Emerson’s dedication to the job, her work ethic, her relationship with county staff and her accessibility to staff and the public. The commissioners ended up naming Price Johnson to the post in a 2-1 vote. Price Johnson was the first woman to chair the Island County Board of Commissioners
when she was chosen two years ago. South Whidbey resident Rufus Rose has been attending commissioner meetings regularly for about 35 years and he said it was the first time that the tradition of rotating the chairmanship equitably wasn’t followed. He feels it is evidence that the two Democratic commissioners, Homola and Price Johnson, are “unwilling to credit different opinions.” Emerson is a Tea-Party Republican. “She should be accorded the same dignity and respect they were given,” he said. “I think it was disrespectful of the voters of Island County who put Emerson in there.” But North Whidbey resident Al Williams, who was also at the meeting, pointed out that Emerson is not a typical or traditional commissioner. She’s the first commissioner in county, and perhaps state, history to sue her own county and county employees. He also claimed she’s inaccessible to the public and stays at her Oak Harbor home when she claims to be available to citizens on Camano Island. Likewise, Price Johnson and Homola didn’t mince words when explaining their reluctance to name Emerson SEE EMERSON, A4
Human remains stand at 7 today, but more predicted By JUSTIN BURNETT Staff reporter
After nearly five months of mystery, the black plastic veil of secrecy hiding the archaeological site in downtown Oak Harbor has finally come down. However, aside from a new dirt road, there isn’t much
to see and state and city officials are providing little information about just what was recovered. As of Tuesday, Nov. 15, the confirmed number of Native American individuals found stands at seven, though experts believe that figure will increase. “There’s absolutely
more, it’s just a question of how many,” said Allyson Brooks, director of the state Department of Archaeology and Historic Preservation. Although archaeological work has ceased in what was the southern lane of Pioneer Way, in front of Mike’s Mini Mart and Oak Harbor
Tavern, results are slow in coming largely because of what was found. Early on, experts were finding skeletons that were mostly intact, which made identifying individuals much easier, Brooks said. Later, recovery was limited to small bone fragments and the state
agency’s physical anthropologist is literally now tasked with putting them back together. “He’s looking at thousands of pieces,” Brooks said. She also said that this is just one of many projects the anthropologist is working on all over the state. Coming up
with some definitive answers is going to take some time. SEE PIONEER, A4
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