Editor,

It is my hope that the citizens of Oak Harbor will consider carefully who they support for the next mayor of the city. Having dealt with City Council on the wastewater treatment plant, and looking at the history of City Council decisions, in my mind the one candidate who makes sense is Jim Campbell.

He is the one council member who was willing to sit with those of us who were raising questions about the plans for the treatment plant and honestly try to answer our questions and look at suggestions we the citizens had.

Jim is the one candidate whom I find is truly open to listening to and respecting the citizens of Oak Harbor. He continues to be open minded and receptive and does not automatically dismiss an idea because it would require rethinking some things and might add a small amount to the cost of a project. He is concerned about getting things accomplished but not by running over community members just because their ideas would require a change of thinking.

He is willing to listen honestly to anybody and evaluate their ideas on the validity of the idea itself and not on the person who brought the idea.

One example of what I am talking about is the treatment plant. When a group of us brought questions to the City Council, we were met with, “Why didn’t you bring those ideas up five years ago?” When the answer was, “We did not live here five years ago.”

The attitude of most of the City Council was either, “that’s your problem, not ours,” or, “we know what is best for you so don’t worry about it.” Neither of those in those specific words, but in attitude.

Jim was the one person who came to us and asked that we put our questions and suggestions in writing for him to look at. He did and sat down with us and explained why certain things could not be done, or were not good ideas, but gave us hope that some changes might be possible.

This is what I want to see in my mayor and City Council. It is time to end the “us against you” mentality between council and mayor’s office and between city government and the citizens.

Please think about who you are voting for and what that means to you and to the community.

William Christian

Oak Harbor