Martha Yount is arguably the wildcard in the race to be the next mayor of Oak Harbor.

The two other candidates in the contest, councilmen Jim Campbell and Bob Severns, are well known by those who pay attention to city politics. Over the years Campbell and Severns have expressed their views on a wide variety of subjects, from guns in city parks to the placement of the sewage treatment plant.

Both men have their group of supporters. The list of people who donated to Severns’ campaign reads like a “Who’s Who” recitation of Oak Harbor — fellow council members, business and community leaders, a former mayor and even Yount.

Campbell said he’s the candidate for those outside of the “good ol’ boys club.” He has the support of a local conservative blog but describes himself as an independent thinker.

As a retired Navy chief, Campbell said he is a voice for all the veterans in the community.

Yount, however, doesn’t fit neatly into the political scene. A former council candidate, she has shown up at council meetings for years and never hesitates to voice her thoughts in a politely circuitous manner.

She didn’t decide to run because of any specific issue or problem, she explained. Rather, she said, it’s her love of the community that leads her to seek the leadership role.

As a retired business owner and a widow, her priorities include public safety and affordability for the many people who live on fixed incomes.

Jim Campbell

Campbell is in his third term on City Council and once ran as a Republican for Island County commissioner.

The last four years have been marked by a tense and sometimes dysfunctional relationship between Mayor Scott Dudley, who’s not seeking reelection, and the council majority. Campbell was often the lone council member on Dudley’s side when it came to divisive issues; he agreed with the mayor, for example, that guns should be allowed in parks and that pay and benefits for council members should be cut.

Nonetheless, he said he’ll follow his own path if he becomes mayor.

Campbell said “both sides” are to blame for the troubled relationship between the two branches of elected officials.

“Everybody involved should pull up their britches, apologize for what happened in the past and move on,” he said.

Campbell recognizes that there’s a morale problem in City Hall and he said he’s the right person to fix it; he said nobody will have to worry about losing their jobs if he’s elected.

Campbell describes himself as a fiscal conservative but said he is more independent when it comes to social issues. He took the legalization of marijuana in stride. He said he took some heat from conservative friends when he signed onto a council proclamation supporting gay pride.

“Everybody who lives in the city of Oak Harbor deserves my respect,” he said. “I don’t agree with the lifestyle, but everyone deserves respect.”

Campbell touts his experience in management. He retired as a chief petty officer and went to work for Lockheed Missiles, retiring a second time after serving as senior manager and liaison in Scotland.

He claims that he’ll be the first former chief to be mayor if he wins.

Campbell and Severns have voted the same way on the sewage treatment plant. They both were in favor of building it in the vicinity of Windjammer Park because the city’s consultant claimed it would be less expensive because the cost of conveyance would be minimized.

Still, Campbell was the only council member who agreed with Dudley that the siting should be reconsidered after costs ballooned.

At this point in the process, however, both men agree that it’s too late to change the site.

Campbell said transparency with the public is an important issue for him. For the last decade, he’s been meeting over coffee with citizens to talk about issues. He’s at Whidbey Coffee every Thursday at 9 a.m.

Bob Severns

Severns was first appointed to the council in 2008 and then was elected by voters.

When it comes to the great mayor/council divide, Severns has largely sided with the council majority, though he cast a swing vote in at least one important decision. He ultimately voted in favor of Dudley’s decision to appoint Ray Merrill as fire chief.

He said he initially decided to run for mayor in order to unseat Dudley.

Severns said he is humbled by the fact that he’s received so much support from community leaders, but disagrees with any attempt to characterize of him as part of an Oak Harbor clique or “good ol’ boys club.”

Severns said he’s worked hard since getting his first job on a farm inseminating turkeys at age 16. He entered the title insurance business while in college and ended up devoting 44 years of his life to the business, ultimately becoming a regional president and the the owner of a title company.

He’s been on Whidbey for 41 of those years.

After retiring, he was selected as a member of the board of directors for Whidbey Island Bank, which is now Heritage Bank.

“I haven’t been given a lot,” he said. “I’m proud of all my hard work.”

When it comes to management, Severns said his experience is more recent and local, as opposed to his opponents.

“That makes a big difference,” he said.

He also said he sees morale problems in City Hall, which he said is due to the mayor’s penchant for firing people. He said he won’t fire a bunch of people or make big changes when coming into office, though he said, perhaps “one or two”

Severns said he wants to be as transparent and open to the public as possible, but wants that openness to include the council. He said the council currently isn’t receiving up-to-date information from the mayor’s office, and he would change that.

While he has a good relationship with council members, he said the tough questions will still be asked and answered under his administration.

As mayor, he said he would ask more questions and be more involved than the council is used to.

“You don’t need to be arguing to have good discussions about important topics,” he said.

Martha Yount

Yount has never held an elected position, though she previously ran for City Council.

She said her motivation in running for mayor is simple: “I believe in the heart and soul of Oak Harbor.”

Her qualifications, she said, are that she cares about and understands the city.

“I have a child born here,” she said. “I have a husband who died here. This is home.”

Also, she ran a small business for years in the city and managed up to six people at a time. She was married to a member of the Navy, which she said is an important connection in a city filled with Navy people.

Yount said she’s lived in Oak Harbor “most of the time” since her husband was stationed here in 1967. He was a “Mustang officer,” having started as an enlisted member of the Navy, later becoming a commissioned officer.

She worked as a bookkeeper for BF Goodrich before she and her late husband opened the first computer store on North Whidbey.

Yount said she doesn’t see a need to “clean house” at City Hall.

“I don’t think I would walk in and make immediate changes until I know what’s what,” she said, adding that she would ask employees if they are qualified for their jobs.

As a former member of the police department’s Citizens on Patrol, Yount said she said she understands the importance of police and public safety.

If elected, she said her other priorities would be to keep the cost of living under control and to grow the economy.

“I want this to be somewhere that my grandchild could come and find a job,” she said.