November general election ballots will hit South Whidbey mailboxes next week, and in Langley voters will decide three contested races for city council.
Seeking position 1 are Christy Korrow and Burt Beusch, Bill Nesbeitt and Dominque Emerson for position 2, and Peter Morton and Thomas Gill for position 5. All six are stellar candidates who would serve Langley well, but our votes are with Korrow, Emerson and Gill.
Starting with position 1, Korrow is an obvious and natural fit for the job. She’s been a full-time Langley resident for seven years and has served on the city’s planning advisory board since 2015, currently as chairwoman. She’s also one of the architects of Upper Langley, an out-of-the-box housing development that aims to keep the cost and impacts of living small. The lack of affordable housing in Langley and throughout Whidbey Island is a big issue at present, and we feel the city, the council and the county could benefit from her leadership and experience in this area.
Beusch was appointed to the seat earlier this year and has done a fine job so far. We thank him for his efforts and hope he continues to find ways to serve Langley.
For position 2, Emerson is another obvious choice. She’s been a city resident for nearly 25 years, and volunteered on the planning advisory board for several years before being appointed to position 2 in January of 2016. She’s proven herself to be an honest, open minded and dedicated public servant. She knows Langley’s issues well and, we trust, would continue to be a fine representative and voice for Langley and its constituents.
Nesbeitt comes with an impressive professional background. He would be a great asset to one of the city’s advisory boards.
Finally, we see no pressing need to replace Gill in position 5. He’s been a stalwart and dedicated advocate of Langley for years. He spent time as the chairman of the planning advisory board — if it’s not clear yet, we think this in an excellent foundation for council members and policy makers — and has served on the council since his election in 2013. We haven’t agreed with all his decisions, but he’s conducted himself honestly and honorably. He’s transparent, responsive and kind, all highly valuable traits for a local lawmaker because it means he respects his constituents. The world could use more of that these days.
As for Morton, we hope he pursues his newfound interest in civics. Langley could no doubt benefit from the skills he developed as a vice president of human resources at Boeing and we think he would be an awesome addition to any of the city’s advisory boards.
