Record South Whidbey
INSIDE: She can dig it ... Sports, A7
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 13, 2012 | Vol. 88, No. 82 | www.SOUTHWHIDBEYRECORD.com | 75¢
Accusations fly at voter forum Homola accuses Johnson of ‘slandering’ her husband BY JUSTIN BURNETT Staff reporter The origins of a U.S. Navy investigation centered on the spouse of incumbent Island County Commissioner Angie Homola sparked a firestorm of debate at a political forum in Freeland Thursday. During the last few minutes of the event, Homola charged her Republican challenger, Jill Johnson, with participating in accusations that her husband had abused his military position for the benefit of her campaign. “Pictures were provided by my opponent to try and slander my husband,” Homola said. “I’m very discouraged about that.” She also voiced dismay over Johnson’s closing statements. Johnson had expressed gratitude toward Homola and her family, saying that this has been a clean campaign and was an example of how people can disagree and still remain respectful during an election. “I don’t know how to respond to being thanked for something when I’m being stabbed in the back,” Homola said. Johnson quickly denied the charge, but the forum moderator did not allow her to elaborate and closed the forum.
Partisan passions inflamed The end of the event marked the beginning of the debate, however, as the exchange caused an uproar among Republicans and Democrats alike. Members of both parties collected in small groups to discuss the issue. Johnson supporters were especially inflamed. A South Whidbey Record reporter was quickly surrounded by those crying foul, claiming that Homola had broken forum rules with a personal attack. Some were also adamant that the charges were false, saying Johnson was a victim of partisan politics at its worst. The truth, however, is nuanced. In a later interview, Johnson admitted she sent photos of Homola’s husband, Cmdr. Jerry Homola, to the Navy, but she claims it was more than two years ago when the county was seeking a levy lid lift, commonly referred to as Proposition 1. The photographs were of him in uniform at an Oak Harbor Chamber of Commerce forum regarding the county’s tax proposal. Homola was not running for office at the time. Johnson, the chamber director, said she sent the pictures to Navy officials because some attendees believed his attendance in uniform was a breach of military protocol regarding members of the Armed Forces engaging in politics. The pictures, however, resurfaced several months ago just before the primary election and were posted on the website, Island Politics. Johnson adamantly denies sending the pictures to the group. “They have popped up again but they didn’t come from me,” Johnson said. Homola questioned the story in an interview Friday, See Forum, A10
Justin Burnett / The Record
Walk on passengers disembark the ferry in Clinton Thursday afternoon. The Port of South Whidbey agreed this week to work with Langley on a project that could improve foot traffic on the route.
Port, Langley seek Mukilteo garage The plan is to boost walk-on ridership to Clinton by commuters, tourists BY JUSTIN BURNETT Staff reporter The Port of South Whidbey has tentatively agreed to join Langley in pursuit of a state grant that, if awarded, would require the port to issue more than $644,000 in revenue bonds to fund a parking garage in Mukilteo. The port commissioners voted unanimously at the board’s regular meeting Tuesday to move forward with the partnership, but with the provision that the junior taxing district could do so without obligation. Langley Mayor Larry Kwarsick, the primary author of the partnership, attended the meeting and expressed his gratitude to the board. “I want to thank you,” said Kwarsick, shaking hands with each of the commissioners following the vote. The economy has severely affected the ability of governments to accomplish major projects and one of the solutions is to band together to work collectively toward a common goal, the mayor said. Last week, and unbeknownst to the port commissioners, Kwarsick asked the Langley City Council to team up with the port to apply for funding from the state Department of Transportation through its Regional Mobility Grant Program. The money would be used to buy
land and then build a parking garage in Mukilteo – a facility that would be owned by the port – and also fund a Sunday bus service pilot program, which would be run by the city. The idea is to bolster pedestrian use of the ferry by increasing the options for commuters and visitors alike. It’s believed the parking garage would make off-island jobs more feasible for residents and allow greater flexibility for tourists. The Sunday bus service is expected to complement the new garage by providing service to and from Langley and the ferry dock.
City, port must match The city council agreed to the partnership, though at the time the amount being sought – $2.6 million – and matches for both municipalities had not yet been determined. Like the port, Langley has a 20 percent match of its own, being required to contribute $14,560 from the general fund for purchase and operation of 15-passenger shuttle bus. Port Commissioner Curt Gordon, president of the board, had discussed the merits of such a plan with Kwarsick in the past, but no formal partnership had been formally proposed to the rest of the board at the time. Port and city officials worked togeth-
er to hammer out many of the details in time for the Tuesday meeting, which was the day before the grant application deadline, but there were still a lot of questions by port commissioners. For one, a past investigation by a former port attorney determined that there may be legal issues regarding a port owning and operating a parking garage outside of its district boundaries. Commissioner Chris Jerome said the idea behind the plan sounds great but it still has to be within the bounds of state law. “I don’t want us to sign up for something that’s illegal,” Jerome said. He also questioned the finances behind the plan. Based on early calculations, the 65-car structure would pull in about $171,000 a year to start — $76,000 net — beginning in year four. By year 20, that would increase to $295,300. That includes additional revenue from two retail spaces on the bottom, which are required to be included under Mukilteo city code, said Angi Mozer, finance manger for the port. However, Jerome worried whether the numbers of the prospective Mukilteo lot were realistic. The port’s existing parking lot above the Clinton ferry dock has 200 spaces and is expected to pull in just $43,000 this year. See Garage, A10