The second time is the charm when it comes to passing the Whidbey General Hospital general obligation bond.
On election night, the 45 people gathered at Ciao exploded with elation once the first election results were posted, initially showing 61.75 percent voter approval. The bond passed with a 61.44 percent approval, giving it the supermajority it needed.
“It was almost impossible to run a campaign in such a short amount of time, but this is Whidbey Island,” said Joe Mosolino, campaign committee chair.”You didn’t just get a majority, you got a super majority.”But before the results were revealed, everyone waited anxiously.
Mosolino prepped the crowd by telling them if it was 5 percent either way to hold their breath and never give up.
“If you’ve been here before, you know 8:19 p.m. is the magic number.” Mosolino said. “This is always the most nerve wracking part.”
A similar bond the hospital attempted two years ago fell short of the 60 percent needed, only garnering 55.49 percent.Voters this time were behind the $50-million bond. It will provide a new wing which includes 39 single-patient rooms. Property owners will pay 32.2 cents per $1,000 assessed property value, increasing from the current 9 cents per $1,000 tax for the hospital’s maintenance and operations levy.
The success of the campaign can be attributed to the community members who took on the task of educating the community on the bond issue, said Trish Rose, public relations and marketing director for the hospital. They raised five times the amount of campaign funds compared to 2011.
“Without the funds, we would’ve stalled,” Rose said.
The effort from the creative team also helped, Rose said. The pamphlets, movies and Web pages made a difference. And of course, the signs.
“Sign, signs, everywhere a sign,” Rose said.
Rose thanked everyone for distributing the signs to people, and those who put them up along the highway.
“Even after the wind storms, the number of signs that survived was good,” Mosolino said.
They had supporters attending fairs, farmers markets and business expos. One women even sat a coffee shop with brochures talking to people, Rose said.
“All of the supporters who came out of the woodwork gave us help,” Rose said.
When one gets to work with such great people on a campaign like this, it’s rewarding, Mosolino said.
“Its like energy for the soul to keep moving,” Mosolino said.
Rose thanked everyone who helped with the campaign, detailing as many names as she could and the efforts they made to bring this to fruition. Both Rose and Mosolino thanked each other for their efforts as well.
