News-Times Whidbey
LIVING
Festival focusing on bands
A11
WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 27, 2014 | Vol. 124, No. 69 | WWW.WHIDBEYNEWSTIMES.COM | 75¢
Mayor: Council playing politics with crosswalk By JESSIE STENSLAND Staff reporter
A proposal to build a crosswalk has turned into an unlikely controversy in a city filled with unlikely controversies. Oak Harbor Mayor Scott Dudley claims that a couple of councilmen are obstructing his attempts to build a pedestrian crossing on Whidbey Avenue for political reasons. He and the
majority of council members have been at odds over a diversity of issues since he came into office, most recently over the management of a marathon and quorum at a cocktail party. “I think the City Council needs to get past the politics,” he said. “You would think they would say we should do everything we can to improve safety in the community.” The council members, however, said they also had safety in mind when they questioned a proposal to build a some-
what unusual mid-block crosswalk on East Whidbey Avenue between State Highway 20 and Oak Harbor Street. Almberg, a retired construction manager, made a motion at the last council meeting requiring the city to get an opinion letter from an engineer about the feasibility of the project before moving forward with it. SEE CROSSWALK, A14
A FAMILY
AFFAIR
Thirty-two years later, it’s still all about family By RON NEWBERRY Staff reporter
Jose Rodriguez and his wife, Natasha, stand outside of El Cazador, which remains familyowned and operated as the business enters its 32nd year.
Alonso Rodriguez can remember when “Lupe” stood only waist high and wandered around his parents’ Mexican restaurant looking for something to eat. Rodriguez guesses Lupe was about 5 years old when he gave him a request that baffled him. “I want to try a hamburger,” he told his uncle. “I said, ‘Why don’t you eat burritos?” Lupe is all grown up now, sporting a beard and carrying around grown-up
Photo by Ron Newberry/Whidbey News-Times
SEE FAMILY, A14
Real estate sales on Whidbey continuing to rebound By RON NEWBERRY Staff reporter
For the second consecutive year, home sales are showing signs of a real estate market recovery on Whidbey Island. Data from the Northwest Multiple Listing Service reveals that 593 single-family homes
were sold on Whidbey Island from Jan. 1– Aug. 20, outpacing the 546 sold during the same period in 2013, making it the highest total for that time period in five years. That data, among other activity, is giving real estate brokers on the island a refreshing sense of optimism as a strong market in 2013 continues to show promise in 2014.
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“What I’m seeing is more stability,” said Rick Shutte, owner and designated broker at Coldwell Banker Koetje Real Estate in Oak Harbor. “July was our largest number of homes under contract in a number of years, probably five or six years.” Wayne Locke, an Oak Harbor Realtor
who, with his wife Sheila Davies, make up the Whidbey team of Coldwell Banker Tara Properties, said he and his wife set a conservative goal for home sales each year. He said they will have met their 2014 goal by the end of this month. SEE REAL ESTATE, A14
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