The average age of the Oak Harbor City Council, which has historically been made up of people in their mature years, was lowered with the election of a single non-incumbent candidate.

Eric Gerber, the 30-year-old former director of the city’s recreation program, defeated retired Navy public affairs officer Howard Thomas. They were both vying for council seat currently inhabited by John LaFond, who decided not to run again.

Incumbent Richard Davis won the election against challenger Patricia Garden. Incumbents Danny Paggao, Sheilah Crider and Nora O’Connell-Balda were unopposed.

Gerber says his youth helped him to win, especially among younger voters. He and his wife, Liz, have two young children and run their own landscaping business. He said he got a lot of support from other young parents in the community.

“I think people were looking for someone young, with some youth, who has some new ideas,” Gerber said.

While Gerber proposed several new ideas during the campaign — such as boosting the economy by bringing major sports tournaments to the city — he may be derailed by the city’s budget crisis brought on by the faltering economy and passage of Initiative 747.

Davis said balancing the budget will be the council’s major challenge in the next year and he stresses that there are “no easy fixes.” He added that the council has to really work together as a team to get through the hard times.

“I’m looking forward to continuing,” Davis said, “although the challenges are increasing as we go forward.”