News-Times Whidbey
LIVING: Weavers spin unique show, sale. A11
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 24, 2012 | Vol. 113, No. 85 | www.whidbeynewstimes.com | 75¢
Differences stark in race By JESSIE STENSLAND
to demand documents from the private organization. The disagreement illustrates the differences between the two candidates, their vision for the future of the county and just how strongly they hold their positions. “We have to throw out the old playbook model of growing as fast as we can,” Homola said. “… We can no longer rely on growth to fund the budget. We were seeing our taxes go up and our quality of life go down.” Johnson said well-planned growth and development is sometimes necessary and she’s in favor of expanding the city of Oak Harbor’s boundaries, which Homola helped to partially block. Johnson claims Homola is simply against growth.
Election
Staff reporter
The tension between the two candidates vying to represent Oak Harborarea residents on the Board of Island County Commissioners started before either of them ran for public office. The city of Oak Harbor was considering a measure that would have led to a large development on the south end of the city. Angie Homola, a founding member of Swan Lake Preservation Group, spoke out against the proposal as being harmful urban sprawl; Jill Johnson, the Oak Harbor chamber director, spoke at a council meeting, saying that the majority of chamber members were in favor of the idea. A confrontation later ensued. Homola claimed Johnson misrepresented the facts and was rude. Johnson claimed that Homola was a bully and acted as if she had the right
2012
See RACE, A8
Advisor red-pencils Greenbank Farm By NATHAN WHALEN Staff reporter
Mass Communications Specialist 2nd Class Emmanuel Rios photo
Naval Aircrewman Helicopter 2nd Class Melissa Dixon rappels from the MH-60S Knighthawk with the Search and Rescue MEDEVAC litter.
Higher Altitudes
Search and rescue knows no bounds By ELISABETH MURRAY Staff reporter
likely means that something has gone terribly wrong and you are in danger of losing life, limb or sight in a remote, wilderness location. It is the intrepid hikers, See REScUE, A5
dent of the Greenbank Farm Management Group, said, “We think it important to note that we cannot at this point know with any certainty what her concerns were.” Stansbury said he has contacted Gardner seeking more details so they can be addressed with the executive planning group and the Port of Coupeville. “Our board is mystified by her reference to unspecified financial and tax issues, especially in light of an IRS audit of our 2008 filings, completed in the fall of 2011, which confirmed that we had no tax due for that year,” Stansbury said See FARM, A4
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Articulate, smart, motivated. The group gathered around the conference room table exude a sense of capability and calm. These
are people you would love to share a cup of coffee with, or invite home to meet your mom. However, they are not ones who you want to meet during their work day. Encountering them most
Noting concerns about financial statements from Greenbank Farm Management Group, a prominent Whidbey Island accountant resigned as a volunteer examining the operations of the publicly owned farm. Georgia Gardner, a Coupeville accountant who is a former state representative and current Whidbey General Hospital commissioner, resigned in early October after she wrote a letter to the management group’s board of trustees about her concerns. “I hereby notify you that, in my professional opinion, there are errors, omissions and/or inconsistencies in your federal and state tax returns, federal forms 990 and 990T and in schedules purporting to be financial
statements issued by the GFMG,” Gardner wrote in a letter to the Management Group Board of Trustees. “I believe there are also omissions with regard to Island County taxes. I believe these errors have sufficient impact that you should seek legal counsel about the remedies,” she wrote. When called Monday asking for elaboration about her opinion, she refused to provide details. “It would be inappropriate to comment on it,” Gardner said, arguing that the letter was a private correspondence. The Whidbey News-Times obtained a copy of Gardner’s letter through a public records request to the Port of Coupeville, which owns the Greenbank Farm. In a written statement, Michael Stansbury, presi-