Editor,

Prior to our town’s mayoral elections, I’d like to pose a question that can help strengthen a well-educated vote, “What makes a good leader?” This question, if you allow it, gives insight beyond any emotionally curated narrative into each candidate’s experience and career trajectory. It is from this place then that you can consider personal narratives. Two attributes that come to mind are competency and the ability to unite community.

It is here that I make my formal declaration of support for Ronnie Wright as Oak Harbor’s mayor.

Wright’s tagline of his campaign is “Proven Experience and Integrity.” This tagline is an invitation to review his tenured career, first as a sailor for the Navy, to his decades-long career as an accountant that led to employment with the Internal Revenue Service and now as a successful, engaged business owner. Equipped with financial education, he will be able to oversee the town’s budget and approach financial obstacles with ease.

Wright indeed has proven experience rooted in reality. Our town has rewarded his business and leadership practices for years. His decades-long servitude to all people, topping that list – family and employees, is a testimony to his leadership skills. I implore you to notice his experience in leadership, financial awareness and positive praise from people who he has served.

A leader approaches every moment as an opportunity for transparent communication in a respectful forum. Wright vows an open-door policy, encouraging and supporting dialogue in a space that inspires action. The role of mayor is not one to be taken lightly. He understands this, respecting and honoring the duties assigned to this office. Wright leads with integrity, addressing our island’s most complex issues of addiction, homelessness and mental diseases. The role of mayor is to oversee a variety of initiatives, cultivating opportunities for the success of the town and, in turn, its residents.

Ronnie Wright is the right choice for mayor. Honoring our long history as a town while uniting our community in growth and progress for the collective good. At this unique moment in time, Oak Harbor needs a leader who understands and respects the value of in person communication, real time dialogue and an understanding of not only microscopic challenges but macro level issues facing our community. The future of our town is bright, and it will be well cared for under the kind and effective leadership of Ronnie Wright.

Cynthia Mason

Oak Harbor