News-Times Whidbey
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 7, 2012 | Vol. 113, No. 18 | www.whidbeynewstimes.com | 75¢
Sports: Athletes receive letters. A8
Oak Harbor GOP caucus draws an estimated 500 Romney first; Santorum close By JESSIE STENSLAND Staff reporter
About 500 fired-up Republicans attended the caucus in Oak Harbor Saturday to show their support for their favorite presidential candidates and commiserate with fellow conservatives. “It was a huge turnout,” said Sam Cunningham, the caucus chairman. “This is far more than we expected.” The results of the straw poll taken at the caucus at Oak Harbor High School, which represented 40 precincts, showed that the views of Republicans on North
and Central Whidbey do not mirror those in the rest of the state and may be more conservative. Former senator Rick Santorum, who’s considered by many as the most socially conservative of the pack, was just a few votes shy of Romney, according to results from Oak Harbor. Mitt Romney earned the most votes, as he did in the other county caucuses and the state as a whole, but his margin was much smaller in Oak Harbor. Santorum did significantly better in Oak Harbor than he did in the rest of the state. Of those who participated in the non-binding poll in Oak Harbor, 115 voted for Romney, 112 voted for
Jessie Stensland / Whidbey News-Times
North Whidbey resident Heather Leahy-Mack votes for Rick Santorum in the straw poll at Saturday’s bustling Republican caucus at Oak Harbor High School. She and her husband brought their five children, including baby Sean. Santorum, 75 voted for Ron Paul, 55 supported Newt Gingrich and 14 were undecided. That equates to 31
percent for Romney and 30 percent for Santorum. That’s significantly different than the state results,
which showed Romney way ahead with 38 percent, Paul in second with 25 percent and Santorum in third with
Police presence returns to high school, city motorcycle cop dropped in tradeoff By NATHAN WHALEN Staff reporter
After a four-year absence, a daily police presence will return to Oak Harbor High School, and the decision means drivers will no longer have to be on the lookout for a motorcycle cop in the city. Starting Monday, longtime Oak Harbor Police Officer Dennis Dickinson will start his duties as school resource officer at the high school. Dickinson spent part of last week visiting the school and familiarizing himself with the staff and students. He has been with the Oak Harbor Police Department since 1998. He started his career with the Coupeville Town Marshal’s Office. Oak Harbor Police Department Lt. John Dyer said an officer at the high school provides a consistent connection between staff, students and police officers. “I’ve always seen a real benefit of a school resource officer,” Dyer said, adding that it’s difficult for officers to connect with students when different officers are
responding to different incidents. The Oak Harbor School District last had a school resource officer during the 2007-2008 school year. Back then, the officer’s salary was funded by both the school district and the city of Oak Harbor. When the school district ran into budget problems, school officials decided to eliminate their share of the funding and as a result the program was eliminated. Since then, many people in the community have been asking to see an officer return to the high school. “It’s something that I’ve been pounding the table on,” recently elected Mayor Scott Dudley said. He said he was disappointed when the officer was removed from the school for financial reasons, describing the move as “penny wise and pound foolish.” He added that the recent school shooting in Ohio shows why it’s important to have a law enforcement presence at Oak Harbor High School. To create a spot for the school
resource officer, the Oak Harbor Police Department is eliminating its motorcycle program and transferring that officer to a patrol car to fill Dickinson’s spot. The motorcycle program focused on traffic enforcement. Oak Harbor High School Principal Dwight Lundstrom said he appreciates seeing an officer return to the high school. It will help build a connection between the school and police and it will be nice to have an officer on hand when a discipline issue becomes a police issue, he said. An added bonus is the high school will have a police presence during large community events such as home football games, Lundstrom said. Dyer said the officer will also provide additional resources for the school. Dickinson will participate in the county’s Drug Court, which is a stringent diversionary program. He could also speak during classes and work with the school’s deans of students.
Nathan Whalen/Whidbey News-Times
Oak Harbor Police Officer Dennis Dickinson will spend his days at Oak Harbor High School where he will serve as school resource officer, which hasn’t happened in four years.
24 percent. Gingrich earned 10 percent of the vote. See caucus, A7