Housing, infrastructure, mental health support and economic development are set to be key issues in an Oak Harbor City Council race between a recent appointee to the council and a former council candidate.

Christopher Wiegenstein was appointed to fill the Position 4 council seat vacated by Dan Evans in April of this year. Earl “Andy” Plumlee has tried for council appointments on three occasions in the past and ran for council in 2021, a race he ultimately lost to Bryan Stucky.

At the general election this November, Wiegenstein and Plumlee will try for the Position 2 seat — Beth Munns, who currently serves in Position 2, is not seeking reelection.

Wiegenstein said he is running for Position 2 instead of his own seat, which is also up for election, because he feels he can make a greater difference for Oak Harbor residents over the course of a four-year term, as opposed to the remaining two years of the ongoing term in Position 4.

An off-and-on Whidbey resident since 1975, Wiegenstein most recently returned to Oak Harbor in 2017 to open his mental health practice, Cradlestone, an individual and family therapy office. As a counselor, Wiegenstein said supporting mental wellness in Oak Harbor residents is among his top priorities as an elected official.

One way he said the city could support positive mental health outcomes for city residents is by facilitating civic programming, recreation opportunities and events that allow people to get out in the community and interact. A former elected commissioner at the North Whidbey Pool, Park and Recreation District, Wiegenstein said he would support the city building a civic recreation complex where sports and other events could be held. His vision for this facility is dependent upon public support and the city being able to fund it, he said.

Another way to support mental wellness in the community would be to address the shortage of mental health professionals; to do this, the city needs affordable workforce housing.

Wiegenstein said he is interested in exploring ways to incentivize developers to build low income housing units that would remain affordable. The multi-family tax exemption program that the council discussed at a recent meeting, for example, would exempt owners of multi-family residential units that meet certain criteria from paying property taxes for a period of time. Wiegenstein said that while he has some issues with the program, he likes the 12- and 20-year program options, which require developers to meet a certain threshold of low income units.

Plumlee, the owner of Popsies candy shop on Pioneer Way, also expressed interest in the tax exemption program, though he stated he is unequivocally opposed to a proposed tax shift that would increase property taxes for other Oak Harbor residents to make up for the exempt units.

Ultimately, however, Plumlee said the housing system is complex and dependent upon many factors that are beyond the city council’s scope of influence. The best thing the council can do to support housing affordability, he said, is to bolster the local economy to increase the spending power of residents.

Plumlee said he would like to see the city study other municipalities that are similar to Oak Harbor to gauge what is working for them that Oak Harbor could potentially replicate or draw inspiration from.

Plumlee also said he sees the Oak Harbor Marina as a site with great economic potential for the city. The candidate envisions kiosks at the marina where local businesses could set up shop to cater to boat tourists, with part of the proceeds going toward marina operations. Business owners not performing well could receive help and training from the city’s economic development department, he proposed. He said the marina could also potentially expand its fuel sales to other customers besides boaters, such as construction companies whose tools use the same type of fuel.

Ultimately, Plumlee said, the city council has a responsibility to do whatever is best for Oak Harbor residents above all else — including raising moorage rates at the marina, if it will result in increased revenue for the city.

Wiegenstein said he supported raising moorage rates at the marina and implementing a plan for gradual rate increases that would keep up with inflation.

“I think it’s been underutilized as a potential resource for the city of Oak Harbor its entire life,” he said of the marina.

Both candidates agreed that infrastructure maintenance needs to be a top priority for the city moving forward. Last month, city Public Works Director Steve Schuller warned city council members that city infrastructure is in critical condition. Plumlee called the state of the city’s infrastructure an “agreed upon government failure.”

Plumlee said city council members and residents alike will have to accept that these repairs will be expensive. He said the city will have to be aggressive in pursuing grants and potentially cut programs or put off other projects to put resources toward these necessary repairs.

Wiegenstein said he didn’t think the infrastructure can was intentionally kicked down the road out of ill will, but rather past city councils likely directed limited funding toward other priorities. Now, he said, it’s time to make investments in infrastructure — especially maintenance necessary to protect the island’s water supply.

He added that he would also like to see more sidewalks in Oak Harbor.

Wiegenstein encouraged Oak Harbor residents to participate in the civic process by attending council meetings and making public comments so that council members can better represent their interests.

Plumlee was likewise interested in increasing public engagement; he said that Oak Harbor has local experts in a variety of fields, and he would like to see the council be more accountable to the decisions made by committees and advisory groups made up of these experts.

He added that he would like to increase public outreach and education surrounding how government funds are used and the decisions that the city council makes, so that residents can more easily give informed feedback. Plumlee said he envisions sending out a regular handout explaining which taxes feed into which city accounts, and which accounts fund which projects or programs.

Ultimately, he said, council members ought to be beholden to the will and best interests of Oak Harbor residents over all else. He said he would like to see a city council made up of more diverse backgrounds to give voice to a wider swath of taxpayer interests.