Editor,

I retired from North Whidbey Fire and Rescue as a battalion chief after 25 years of service. During those years, I attended most of the commissioner meetings and missed maybe 12 at most over the 25 years.

I observed Marvin Koorn both as a fire chief and as a commissioner.

Marvin Koorn has the knowledge and abilities required to be a fire commissioner because he knows the laws and safety standards that the state requires.

He respects the taxpayers’ money by maintaining a balanced budget while purchasing equipment and building a new station with cash. He successfully negotiated a contract with WhidbeyHealth to maintain basic life support ambulances operated by the fire department.

He is committed to maintaining a volunteer fire department.

His opponent has very little knowledge of state regulations concerning running a fire district. She started attending the fire commissioner meetings a couple months prior to filing her candidacy.

His opponent has failed to register her campaign with the Public Disclosure Commission (PDC) as required by law within two weeks of becoming a candidate. And, as of Sept. 13, 2019, is not listed with the PDC as a candidate.

Marvin Koorn has extensive experience in the fire service as a fire chief and fire commissioner. His opponent has no experience at all in the fire service.

I encourage you to vote for Marvin Koorn; he has the knowledge, experience and expertise to manage our fire department in an effective way while making difficult decisions and maintaining a balanced budget.

Lyle Zimmerman

NWFR battalion chief, retired,

North Whidbey Fire and Rescue

Oak Harbor