Editor,

I have been away from the festivities and fireworks that were part of the Oak Harbor city administration and city council for the past four years. I was very worried who would step up to lead the City of Oak Harbor out of the current dysfunction.

The citizens of Oak Harbor are very fortunate to be able to choose between two qualified candidates for mayor. I had the pleasure of serving alongside each of them while I served on the council.

Much of my time away was spent training as an Army National Guard chaplain, and I have been learning and studying what makes a good military leader. In a community made up of many service members and dependents, who also are owed our respect for their sacrifices, we need a strong and experienced leader who can bring people together.

Bob is both of these. He is a calm, articulate man who does his research, seeks good information and asks good questions that allow him to arrive at good decisions.

Working as a team is critical to implement the vision of this community. Bob is one who spends time and energy to find common ground to work in a forward fashion and direction. He is not one to spend time and energy picking apart the opposition in a debate or to find ways to find faults in others. One thing we realize as we get older, debate is good, conflict is OK, and reconciliation and forgiveness are key. Bob has the skills to bring the citizens, military community, council and staff together to build the City of Oak Harbor into a strong community.

With Bob Severns and Doug Merriman, Oak Harbor will have one of the most ethical and tested city administration teams we have ever seen. Their educations and successful work experince are going to be extremely valuable to Oak Harbor.

Thank you for standing up and becoming the leaders we need to move the City of Oak Harbor forward. I have the utmost respect for both of you.

I am excited to see how Bob is able to lead the city forward; it will be a welcome change from the past few years. Please join me in supporting Bob Severns for mayor of Oak Harbor.

Eric Gerber

Oak Harbor