Editor,

I knew when I threw my name in the hat for the school board position articles would be written and social media would discuss it. Everyone has the ability to make change if they take the initiative to get involved. When things go wrong after the fact, you really can’t be upset if you sat on the sideline.

Robert Hallahan has taken the initiative to get involved and nobody can question that. However, questions need to be asked about qualifications no matter who is running.

The upcoming election for the Oak Harbor School Board has three positions that are on the ballot. I chose to run for Position No. 3 due to Christine Cribb not running for another term, which leaves an open seat.

Due to my position as the school resource officer it would have been a conflict of interest to put my name in the hat at that time. I am not running against  Hallahan. I am running for Position No. 3, which needs to be filled with the best qualified person.

I was told about a recent letter to the editor in the Whidbey News-Times entitled “Passionate about kids and their education,” by R. Hallahan, who is running for school board position 3.

I never met Hallahan but did sit behind him at the last school board meeting. He refers to me as “the candidate” and even that I “seem nice enough.” He goes on to say, “I can’t know that for sure” about me being nice.

If Hallahan was interacting with the schools, as he himself stated, he would know that I am a nice guy.

He stated in the past and in his letter how dedicated he is in attending school board meetings and getting around to the schools. I was the school resource officer since March 2012 and never met Hallahan or saw him at or around the schools or school events.

It would be safe to say his passion about kids and their education seems to be held strictly to the board room.

My stance for running is on school safety, and I have not wavered on that issue. If you decide to run for public office, no matter what position, you need to stick to your guns on the issues that brought you into the arena.

Nobody is going to fault you, win or not, when you stick to why you got into the political arena. Your passion has to be more than just words — it has to be action.

My preparation to serve on the Oak Harbor School Board began as an employee within the district back in the ’90s. It continued when I became a commissioned provisional Coupeville deputy marshal in June 1995 and an Oak Harbor police officer in November 1998.

It came to fruition when I became the school resource officer in March 2012.

I have seen and been in the middle of district policies that fall short when it comes to school safety. I have also seen and been in the middle of OHPS personnel issues that have fallen short due to Oak Harbor School Board policy. I have had the privilege to serve side by side with the employees of the Oak Harbor Public Schools. I have seen the good, the bad and the ugly on a daily basis while serving as the school resource officer. You don’t get any better preparation than being in the trenches on a daily basis.

As with any public office, there is a responsibility to the community of which you serve. You must be open to ideas other than your own. Agree to disagree, when necessary, with others around you. And, above all else, be transparent at all times without compromising confidentiality or safety.

If you live within the Oak Harbor School District boundaries, please take the time to write-in Dennis Dickinson for Position No. 3.

Dennis Dickinson

Oak Harbor