Record South Whidbey
INSIDE: Greet spring, Island Life, A9
SATURDAY, MAY 5, 2012 | Vol. 88, No. 36 | www.SOUTHWHIDBEYRECORD.com | 75¢
Council passes mayor’s actions to prosecutor BY JUSTIN BURNETT
High voltage, low mileage
Volt lover revolted by publicity BY JIM LARSEN Record editor
With a Ph.D in physics and a long career with a Detroit auto supply business behind him, Norm Bodine of Clinton knows his cars. And he’s revolted that a futuristic car he purchased new last fall came with a questionable reputation after a faulty report on FOX News and various other media outlets. In response, Bodine wrote to the FOX reporter who made the misinformed report as well as its popular commentator Bill O’Reilly, complaining about the erroneous “facts” regarding a fire and the Volt’s mileage. He didn’t get a response, so instead set out on a one-man crusade to sing the praises of the Chevrolet Volt. The Volt isn’t an all-electric car, as it depends on a small gas generator when the lithium battery’s charge falls below a certain point. Bodine sees that as a good thing. “There’s no anxiety,” he said, comparing the Volt to the all-electric Nissan Leaf. If an all-electric car like the Leaf loses its charge, he said, “You call a tow truck and wait for an hour.” He described the Volt’s battery as “a large array of the same batteries you use in cell phones.” It’s light and recharges in about 5 1/2 hours on 110 household current or 2 1/2 hours at one of the 240 volt charging stations which are starting to pop up around the
Jim Larsen/The Record
Norm Bodine relaxes in the heated leather seat in his Volt while he listens to music from its Bose sound system. Above: The Volt’s computer keeps track of energy usage and energy efficiency. Using a small gasoline engine when the battery is depleted, Norm Bodine’s care has averaged 245 mpg “lifetime,” in this case a total of about 5,000 miles driven. island. But it can be driven any time on its gasoline engine, supported by a 5 1/2 gallon fuel tank. The Volt, unlike the Prius, boasts an all-electric drive train, but even using the gas engine it costs only 2.5 cents per mile to run. “I pay one-quarter the cost for gas,” he said, comparing the Volt to his pickup truck. But it’s the electricity that makes all the difference in the mileage. After 5,000 miles of driving, Bodine’s Volt has averaged 246 miles per gallon according to
its onboard computer. Bodine drove his Volt into a Coupeville parking lot recently and pulled up next to a BMW 3 series vehicle. The Volt cost $42,000 but came with a $7,500 government rebate, making the two vehicles similar in sticker price. In terms of handling, braking, appearance and features, the two cars are comparable, he said. He lauded how the Volt handles See volt, A12
Staff reporter
Langley Mayor Larry Kwarsick modified previously finalized development documents for a family member’s home shortly after he was hired as the city’s planning director in 2011, according to a statement released Friday by the Langley City Council. The news release said the council was not a court of law and can’t make any legal determinations, and instead has recommended the issue be investigated by the Island County Prosecutor’s Office. “The council has reason to believe that a violation of the law may have taken place,” said Hal Seligson, councilman and mayor pro tem. Seligson confirmed that the prosecutor’s office has agreed to look into the issue but was unsure when any decisions would be issued. Kwarsick, who was elected to his first term as mayor late last year, previously worked as the city’s director of community planning in 2011. He was apprised of the council’s action on Thursday but declined to comment on the specifics of the allegations. However, he also repeated his previous claim that he did nothing wrong. “I don’t expect to be found responsible for people’s feelings or opinions about my actions,” Kwarsick said. The council’s statement comes after a string of executive sessions last week concerning a whistleblower complaint detailing the allegations against the freshman mayor. According to documents city officials released Friday morning through a public records request filed two weeks ago, the complaint was lodged by Jeff Arango, the new director of community planning.
Langley Mayor Larry Kwarsick In a memo to the council, Arango said that Kwarsick had been involved in the permitting process of a family member’s home at 401 Minnie Lane since 2006. The property is mostly a wetland and development required a mitigation and a 10-year monitoring plan. Kwarsick, who has a private planning business and has been the town planner in Coupeville for years, helped develop the mitigation plan in association with one other private firm. In his memo, Arango said Kwarsick submitted a report to former Planning Director Larry Cort and planner Fred Evander and that an unsigned decision was issued Dec. 22, 2010, before they left for new jobs. However, Arango alleges that Kwarsick changed the contents in February after he was hired as the city’s new planning chief. According to Arango, in a conversation with Kwarsick last month, the mayor admitted he’d not been happy with Evander’s initial reluctance to endorse his submitted plan and did in fact See mayor, A12