Editorial: St. Clair, Felici are right candidates for county positions

Island County will be in good hands no matter who wins the races for commissioner and sheriff, but Janet St. Clair and Rick Felici, respectively, are the best candidates for the jobs.

Camano Island resident St. Clair, a Democrat, is challenging incumbent Commissioner Rick Hannold, a Republican, to represent the politically complex district that covers North Whidbey and Camano.

As a conservative, Hannold has done a good job advocating for North Whidbey. As a former member of the Navy, he is a strong supporter of Naval Air Station Whidbey Island. He has opposed tax increases and believes there are too many regulations on development.

At the same time, he’s supported social programs to help the homeless and people with addiction problems.

Hannold, however, is not the right candidate for the most important job of all — uniting the county. The controversy over the noise from the Navy’s Growler aircraft, arguments about affordable housing and the homeless, and partisanship in the Trump era has divided the county more than ever.

Hannold was one of the two commissioners who punished Coupeville residents by denying them a grant because he felt expressing concerns about jet noise means they are anti-Navy. He said it’s not a good use of tax dollars to support a town that’s hostile to the Navy, though he now says his main concern was the high cost of a proposed restroom.

It’s admirable that Hannold wants to defend the Navy — the economic engine of the county — but punishing people who have different views and deepening the divide in the community doesn’t help anyone.

St. Clair, on the other hand, said she can help bring the county together by listening and being respectful to all sides of an issue. As someone who’s held executive positions in nonprofit organizations, she said she understands the importance of civility in leadership. She said she has a history of working with a wide range of people who have a wide range of opinions.

In addition, St. Clair has had a career in mental health care, which will be valuable to the county as the issue will likely continue to be at the forefront of policy decisions in the future.

She is a smart and articulate candidate, and she deserves the chance to put her words into action.

In the race for sheriff, both candidates come from within the office, both have lengthy careers in law enforcement and both are Republicans. Felici is the chief criminal deputy and Lane Campbell is a patrol deputy.

Felici is simply better prepared to take over the office because of his management experience.

The office is currently well run and Felici is no small part of that. He’s a calm and professional presence. He’s arrested a lot of bad guys in his time, but he believes in a holistic, proactive approach to law enforcement that leverages other government agencies and aims to prevent recidivism while helping people.

Felici has ideas for improving the office, which he’ll have time to implement if he becomes sheriff.

Campbell, on the other hand, is the candidate for people who think the sheriff’s office needs serious changes. Campbell said he feels that there’s a disconnect between the office and the community, as well as between the office and staff.

He describes himself as a reformer who has the necessary understanding of what’s happening on the streets.

Campbell has taken a “tough” position on crime during the campaign, though his idea of bringing a drug-sniffing dog into the schools is a little concerning. It’s important that students see police as positive role models rather than an alarming, negative presence in schools.

Both candidates are smart and earnest, but Felici should be the top cop.