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SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 27, 2014 | Vol. 90, No. 77 | WWW.SOUTHWHIDBEYRECORD.COM | 75¢
Drugs not an epidemic, sheriff says
Attendance, accuracy top issues in treasurer’s race By JANIS REID South Whidbey Record
Justin Burnett / South Whidbey Record
Island County Sheriff Mark Brown responds to questions during a meeting at South Whidbey High School Tuesday on drug use and property crime. Island County Commissioner Helen Price Johnson, left rear, the meeting organizer.
By JUSTIN BURNETT South Whidbey Record Despite Island County Sheriff Mark Brown’s assertions to the contrary, South Whidbey residents insist the drug problem on the South End has reached “epidemic” proportions. At a public meeting at the high school in Langley this week, a crowd of more than 70 people made it clear they feel heroin usage in the community is out of control, and that it’s the driver behind ongoing property crime. “Don’t kid yourself that it’s not an epi-
demic,” said Carol Coble, owner of Carol’s Coffee Barn in Bayview. “The epidemic is heroin and it’s on Whidbey Island.” Her stand has been broken into three times and she claims dealing is so common in the area that it’s happening in open view of the public. “You can’t go grocery shopping at The Goose without seeing a drug deal happen,” she said, a statement that earned healthy applause throughout the room. Byron MacDonald, who owns Country Girl Coffee in Freeland, agreed. “Carol is right,” he said. “It’s ridiculously bad.”
“I could give you a list of 100 people [who are heroin users] on this island,” he added. The two business owners and a host of other concerned South Whidbey residents gathered at the school’s commons Tuesday evening for a meeting about increased drug use and its link to residential and commercial burglaries. Organized by Island County Commissioner Helen Price Johnson, the gathering was also attended by a handful of county drug treatment specialists and elected public officials, including Brown. SEE MEETING, A13
Attendance and accuracy seem to be the top two issues for former co-workers and Island County treasurer candidates Wanda Grone and Ana Maria Nuñez. Grone, who was fired by Nuñez when she filed to run this summer, has criticized Nuñez’s leadership style and frequent absences over the past year. “You have to discourage this finger-pointing Nuñez attitude, you have to have consistent instructions … every employee should receive exactly the same type of treatment,” said Grone, who is running as a Republican, in a Thursday interview. “Everyone should be able to come in every day, know what they have to do, do their work and go home.” Grone Incumbent Democrat Nuñez said that while Grone was a good accountant, she had her own shortcomings. “The impression has been given, and SEE RACE, A9
Oak Harbor mayor, transit board spar at tense meeting By JESSIE STENSLAND South Whidbey Record The leadership of Island Transit continued down a bumpy road this week. The embattled board of directors held a special meeting Wednesday to discuss a leadership transition after Executive Director Martha Rose quit last Friday. The board formed a subcommittee to interview temporary replacements, but delayed moving forward with finding a permanent director.
Rose left the agency amidst financial problems that led to employee lay offs and route cuts. The board didn’t allow the public to speak during the meeting, angering many in the crowd. During previous meetings Coupeville Councilman Bob Clay, chairman of the board, allowed freewheeling discussions between the audience and board members. Oak Harbor Mayor Scott Dudley chastised board members during the tense meeting for what he characterized as negligence in their oversight of the agency. The Oak Harbor City Council recently appointed him to
the board until the end of the year because Councilman Jim Campbell, a transit board member, is on an extended vacation. “We have a board that hasn’t done their due diligence and hasn’t done their duties as board members, period,” he told board members. Dudley was largely shut down, however. He moved to hold an executive session to fire or take disciplinary action against acting financial manager Sandra Kuykendall for writing a SEE TRANSIT, A12