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SATURDAY, OCTOBER 12, 2013 | Vol. 89, No. 82 | WWW.SOUTHWHIDBEYRECORD.COM | 75¢
Tomorrow’s Port commissioner
Accused Greenbank murderer takes the stand By JESSIE STENSLAND South Whidbey Record
Curt Gordon
Gordon wants to smooth out transportation issues and promote tourism throughout South Whidbey. Another top priority is to continue current port projects such as the South Whidbey Harbor renovation, and rebuild the Possession Beach boat ramp to make it more usable and require less maintenance. “I think the best way to serve voters is to understand who voters are,” he said. “We have to find creative, low-impact solutions because that’s what
Shocking many in the courtroom, Robert “Al” Baker took the stand Thursday afternoon in his own defense and claimed his wife’s death is a mystery to him. The 62-year-old Antarctic physicist and restaurant owner is accused of brutally murdering Kathie Baker in the days before his girlfriend came to visit the couple’s Greenbank home last June. Baker testified that he doesn’t know anything about the murder. “I swear on everything I hold sacred, my mother’s grave, I did not kill Kathie,” he told the jury. “I did not kill my wife.” Baker’s testimony was the first time Baker has had a public opportunity to present his side of the story. Liza Schuldt, a former love interest, testified against him Wednesday. She described how he wooed her, told her he had broken up with his wife and invited her to live with him at his Greenbank home. She read several of the romantic messages Baker wrote on the greeting cards he mailed to her every day for months. “I’m kind of old-fashioned and I thought if this all worked out I was going to put them together and make a collage,” she said of the large collection of cards. Senior Deputy Prosecutor Eric Ohme meticulously presented the evidence against Baker. He called on deputies, detectives, forensic scientists, people who worked for the
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Ed Jenkins
Gordon and Jenkins face off, again By CELESTE ERICKSON South Whidbey Record Two Port of South Whidbey commissioner candidates will vie for Position 3 this November, and it won’t be the first time they’ve squared off for public favor. For the third time in four years, Ed Jenkins is looking to undermine the political ambitions of incumbent Curt Gordon, a long-time South Whidbey public servant. The first round, waged in 2009 for Gordon’s current port seat, met with failure as did both men’s bid to unseat Island County
Commissioner Helen Price Johnson last year.
Curt Gordon Gordon said he has a lot of experience with small taxing districts, budgets, bonding, levies and interaction with county departments. Gordon was a commissioner on the South Whidbey Parks and Recreation District for 18 years and has served on the port district since 2009. If elected, he plans to focus on economic development that will benefit the public without a negative impact.