With State Rep. Barry Sehlin retiring this year, four people decided to run for the District 10 seat he is vacating.

District 10 encompasses all of Island County and portions of Skagit County.

Of the four who filed, two are squaring off in the September primary — Democrats Gina Bull of Oak Harbor and Nancy Conard of Coupeville.

The winner of the Sept. 14 primary will face Republican Chris Strow and Libertarian Tom Bronkema in the general election.

As long-time Whidbey Island residents, both Conard and Bull have extensive experience in public schools. Conard recently retired as business manager for the Coupeville School District and Bull is currently the dean of students at Oak Harbor Middle School.

While the two candidates have similar professional backgrounds they are taking two different approaches to their campaign.

Conard, who is in her third term as mayor of Coupeville, highlights her experience as an elected official as a benefit for being state representative. In addition to her tenure as mayor, she also has served a four-year stint on the Coupeville Town Council.

That experience has given her knowledge about budget and finance issues and land use issues.

“It’s given me the opportunity to know the people and know the issues,” Conard said.

The town recently received relief from the Growth Management Act (GMA) where the town can restrict zoning densities as long as it benefits historical and cultural aspects of Ebey’s Landing National Historical Reserve. The town also received 12 acres of woods on the west side of town that will be preserved as open space.

Some of the major issues Conard sees revolve around growth, education and the economy.

She said she is a big supporter of the GMA and it’s a way to preserve the quality of life in Island County.

“It’s the right thing to do (otherwise) we’d have urban sprawl,” Conard said, adding it should also be balanced with the rights of property owners.

In the realm of education she isn’t sure whether voters will support tax-raising initiatives such as I-884 which goes before voters in November. That initiative would provide a 1 percent sales tax increase that would benefit education.

“There isn’t a climate for tax raises,” Conard said.

As a way to find more money for education she suggested going through all the tax exemptions that the Legislature approved throughout the years and remove ones that may seem unnecessary.

Conard said she is a fiscally conservative official who has experience dealing with funding limitations. To make up shortfalls last year, Coupeville officials closed town hall on Fridays and made some cutbacks to secretarial staff.

She added that experience will benefit her as the legislature deals with voter-approved initiatives that limit revenue.

Conard’s opponent, Gina Bull is taking a different approach to the election this year.

As the state representative race is her first attempt at an elected office, Bull is promoting her everyday experience as a strong point to be elected.

“I really think I could give the average working person a voice in Olympia,” Bull said.

She added that she is the only one of the candidates who has been married for 25 years. She is also a working parent.

“It gives me a unique perspective,” Bull said.

Even though she may be a newcomer to elective politics she is familiar with the political landscape in Olympia.

In addition to working at Oak Harbor Middle School, she has lobbied in Olympia on behalf of the Public School Employees union. That union represents such employees as bus drivers, cafeteria workers and maintenance crews in the Oak Harbor School District. It does not include teachers.

Bull’s father, Bill Grant, is currently a State Representative of the 16th District which covers several counties in southeastern Washington.

She has lived on the island for 15 years. Her children, Lindsay, Molly and Grant, went through the Oak Harbor School District.

Because of Bull’s connection with schools, education is a priority with her.

“I think it’s important to give educators the flexibility to teach in different learning styles,” Bull said.

She didn’t offer any predictions about I-884 that goes before voters in the upcoming election but appreciated that the public gets to decide whether to approve a tax increase.

Bull added that people she’s talked to could be open to a sales tax raise given the right circumstances.

“What I’m hearing when I’m doorbelling is that people want accountability,” Bull said, adding that voters may consider a tax raise if it’s well worded.

She acknowledged that growth is inevitable but said it should be done slow and smart.

With her dad being a fourth-generation farmer, she wants to work to protect small family farms.

“Once we lose that ground, it’s gone forever,” Bull said.

In addition to preserving family farms, she said she would work to protect small businesses which account for 70 percent of the businesses in the state.

She added that she has exposure to small business because her husband, Ron, operates a construction company on Whidbey Island.

Both Conard and Bull expect to keep their positions as mayor and dean of students respectively, if elected as state representative.

Conard said that she consulted with the Washington State Attorney General’s Office before filing for office to ensure she didn’t run into any conflict-of-interest issues with holding two elected positions.

As for Bull, she is expects to be taking a leave of absence from the Oak Harbor School District while the legislature is in session.

Voters will decide Bull and Conard’s fate during the Sept. 14 primary. The winner of the primary will go on to the general election and face Republican Strow and Libertarian Bronkema in November.