Record South Whidbey
INSIDE
Gil Nyerges, the fish master See...A12
SATURDAY, JUNE 21, 2014 | Vol. 90, No. 50 | WWW.SOUTHWHIDBEYRECORD.COM | 75¢
Candidate’s blackface parody comes under fire
Langley ponders historic demolition rules
By JESSIE STENSLAND South Whidbey Record
Island County is wrapping up plans for a South Whidbey bike route that will circle through scenic areas between Clinton to Bayview Corner to Langley and back again. “The idea is that people on the mainland can bring their bikes over on the ferry and see South Whidbey,” Transportation Planner Doug Cox said. “It will be one of those things we think will go a long way.” Cox said the $100,000 project will use existing roads but add signage to make it more cyclist-friendly. The project will also widen shoulders in key locations. The goal, Cox said, is to improve bicycle facilities to encourage more residents to ride bicycles for daily transportation and to promote bicycle tourism. The route has been in the works for a while, but this part of the project marks the final phase to complete the loop, according to Island County Commissioner Helen Price Johnson. “I’m excited to have it completed,” Price Johnson said. “It will make it easier for locals and visitors to use non-motorized transportation and add mobility and well-being.” The commissioner said she believed the bike loop will not only be an asset for locals, but will help the South Whidbey economy through tourism. The project will be initiated in two phases. The Transportation Alternatives Program will provide $20,000 this year for preliminary engineering. Once right of way has been
Sparked by the possibility of losing the Dog House Tavern on First Street, Langley took its first crack at hammering out the details of rules concerning the destruction of historic buildings this week. The city’s Planning Advisory Board discussed what the scope and goal of the regulations should be for an hour at its regular monthly meeting on Wednesday. The body’s task was ironing out the specifics of a six-month moratorium on the demolition of buildings on the National Historic Register, which was issued as an emergency ordinance in May. It targeted the Dog House Tavern and its owners after they asked the city about the process for tearing down the century-old building on First Street. “What we’re going to come up with is going to be reasonable,” said Langley Director of Community Planning Jeff Arango. Several advisory board members struggled with the time constraint presented by the six-month moratorium. Because it was issued in May, there are basically four months left before the city is required to set out standards and guidelines for demolition. One of the longest discussions concerned the possibility of creating a historic district. Such a designation would be a blanket policy for the city to regulate which buildings
SEE BIKE LOOP, A9
SEE DEMOLITION, A5
Janis Reid / The Record
A commuter bicycles north on Highway 20 on Central Whidbey. Island County is working on a plan for a roughly 20-mile bike loop on South Whidbey, traveling from Clinton to Langley and back again.
South Whidbey bike loop to encourage fitness, tourism By JANIS REID South Whidbey Record
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SEE BLACKFACE, A5
By BEN WATANABE South Whidbey Record
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The head of the Island County Democrats is denouncing a candidate for a state representative seat who put on “blackface” to impersonate President Obama in an internet video. Oak Harbor resident David Sponheim, 54, is one of three candidates running against state Rep. Dave Hayes, R-Camano Island. Sponheim filed as “prefers Democratic party” even though he and his partner, Sarah Hart, have worked for years to start a new centrist political party they’ve dubbed “America’s Third Party.” Sponheim has run for president twice as a writein candidate for America’s Third Party and said he plans to run again in 2016. Sponheim and Hart discuss their political ideas in a three-hour “video chat” program they broadcast online six days a week. It was during one of these programs that Sponheim, a white man, painted his face black in a caricature of “Broke Obombus.” The video can be seen at www.youtube. com/watch?v=bWXMqpb8tpg Sponheim said his impersonation was intended as satire and that he was surprised when people accused him of being racist. “In order to impersonate a black president, I had to wear blackface,” he said. “I’m the last person you should call a racist because I believe in integration and equal rights for everyone.” Many people, however, do believe that it’s offensive to wear blackface, espe-
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Michelle Wolfensparger graphic
A 20-mile bike route on South Whidbey will be a reality by 2016.