The two men vying for Oak Harbor mayor have different priorities.

Protecting citizens is Jim Campbell’s top priority if elected. He said he’d deliver a well-funded proposal to City Council that would more than adequately equip and staff the city’s police and fire departments.

“They won’t have a chance to say ‘no’ because it will be that good,” he said.

The other candidate, Bob Severns, said he wants to improve relationships with the city’s partners, including the Navy, businesses, city staff and the council. He also believes his experience in business will help him fill storefronts downtown.

“I feel we need a change,” he said. “We had three years of relationships that didn’t work that well in my estimation.”

He was referring to mayor Scott Dudley, who has had a divisive relationship with members of the city council and city staff.

Dudley isn’t seeking re-election.

The candidates for mayor, city council and one of the hospital seats were shaking hands and getting their message out Wednesday to residents of Regency, a retirement community in Oak Harbor — one of many campaign stops before election.

Beth Munns and Rick Almberg are both running unopposed for their city council seats. Munns said she plans to continue to make the best decisions possible for the majority for the city.

Almberg said he brings his business acumen to the table, to ensure the city continues to be financially stable. He touted his role on the Island Transit board, where he is helping turn around a financial situation he described as “a meltdown.”

There are two contested seats for the hospital board at Whidbey General Hospital, but only candidates Rob Born and Georgia Gardner were present.

Born said he decided to run for office after “I saw things were terribly wrong.”

Born said the hospital is in crisis, although it’s turning around with better leadership under new CEO Geri Forbes. He’d like to be part of the solution. His top priority is “reducing endless employee turnover.”

To do that, Born said he’d like to find ways to improve employee morale by changing the culture at the hospital.

He’s written 120 articles on his blog about the hospital since the spring.

Gardner, a certified public accountant, is the incumbent. She insisted the hospital is not in crisis.

“If someone says we’re in crisis, ask what is the crisis,” she said.

The hospital purchased a mandated $7- million medical-records system and, unlike many other hospitals, paid for the expense in cash rather than asking taxpayers for more money, she said. Officials are rebuilding the hospital’s reserves.

Her comments drew applause from the audience — the only candidate to do so. She said if Born is concerned about hospital staff leaving, he should stop publishing stories on his blog. She claims that Born’s criticisms a few years ago led to two surgeons leaving.

Gardner said she doesn’t favor the hospital affiliating with other organizations because it’s important the hospital be able to stand on its own, although she would consider creating partnerships that were mutually beneficial but didn’t force the hospital to relinquish control.

“It’s not affiliation,” she said. “It’s selling out.”

Born, a retired attorney, said it’s important to explore the option of affiliation because it could bring experts to the island. There are degrees of affiliation and there may be a benefit to patients, he said.

“Affiliation is not a dirty word,” he said. “It’s not something to be afraid of.”

Rhoda Munks, a resident of Regency, sat through most of the presentation by the candidates. She doesn’t have many complaints about the current city leadership or the hospital. She wasn’t ready to say which way she was leaning on the mayoral or hospital races.

“For a small town, I think we do pretty well.”