Oak Harbor City Council adopted a new policy regarding nepotism on volunteer boards, but it’s unclear if the only person potentially affected by the rule will continue to serve.

The ordinance adopted at the Feb. 3 meeting bars any board, commission or committee member with a relative who is an elected city official from serving as a chairperson. Mayor Pro Tempore Tara Hizon was presiding during the absence of Mayor Ronnie Wright. The only opposition to the vote came from Councilmember Barbara Armes.

Councilmember Eric Marshall first proposed a nepotism policy at a Jan. 6 meeting when the council was considering re-appointments to city advisory boards. The only person such a policy could affect was Carrie Stucky, who is married to Councilmember Bryan Stucky and served as chairperson of the Parks and Recreation Commission.

Marshall initially claimed he was not referring to anyone specific but later admitted he was talking about Carrie Stucky. He later said his concerns centered around perceived favoritism. The council discussed the issue at length during three previous meetings and a retreat. City Attorney Hillary Evans said during a prior meeting that such a policy would be very unusual among municipalities in the state.

Wright initially presented Carrie Stucky for appointment to the chairperson position but the action was delayed along with the other appointments to the committee. At the meeting this week, her name was not forwarded with the others for appointment to the board for an unclear reason.

Carrie Stucky was disheartened to be the subject of conversation.

“The way this process has played out has been quite hurtful and confusing,” she told the News-Times. “The words and actions of a specific council member have created an uncomfortable environment for me and several others. While I don’t want to speculate on intentions, in my opinion the timing and tone of this situation seems to have sent a discouraging message to the public.”

She emphasized that the council members must remain conscious of how their actions impact others, and she encouraged them to continue to spread kindness among their community.

“I support the city council in creating common sense checks and balances. I think the policy they ultimately ended up adopting is fair without being overly restrictive,” she noted.

Both Carrie and Bryan Stucky said they were in favor of the policy that was ultimately adopted and Bryan Stucky voted in favor of the motion. In addition to barring elected officials’ relatives from serving as chairperson, the policy states that no council members shall serve on the same board as a relative; no elected official shall vote on the appointment of a relative; and the city council shall not appoint or confirm the appointment of relatives of elected officials to the salary commission or the civil service commission.

At the Jan. 20 meeting, Bryan Stucky spoke about the volunteers who had shown up to the meeting expecting to be reappointed on Jan. 6.

“I wanted to thank all of those who are up for reappointment for being willing to continue to help us. We postponed the 17 appointments to have a needed discussion on nepotism, which I’m all for,” he said. “We talk a lot about staff morale, and I think volunteer morale is also relevant to talk about when people are adjusting their schedules and donating their time. So just speaking for me, I want to apologize to those whose days and nights were disrupted.”

Marshall apologized at the Jan. 20 meeting for the feelings that were hurt at the prior meeting, and argued that addressing the issue was necessary to prevent future conflicts. He commented that his actions on Jan. 6 were not intended to put off the entire slate of re-appointments to the advisory boards; however, this has been an ongoing issue and has gotten worse recently, he said.

“The chair of the parks and rec commission has received preferential treatment as the chair, and whether or not that is due to the relationship with the council member is unclear, ” he said. “If you can’t say for a 100% certainty whether it is because of a relationship or not, then you need to eliminate what that option is.”

He then referenced a time he believed an advisory board chairperson, although he was not specific about who, overstepped by negotiating on behalf of the city about the master fee schedule.

At the Jan. 20 meeting, Hizon noted that Marshall’s complaints may be better directed as an internal administration issue.

North Whidbey Pool, Park and Rec Commissioner Brit Kraner was critical of how the conversations among council members played out in January. In a public comment that was presented at the Feb. 3 council meeting, she wrote about her distaste for criticism targeted at Carrie Stucky.

“I feel compelled to speak out about how the January 20th meeting unfolded. I left that meeting feeling deeply troubled, not just by the outcome, but by the process, the tone and the message it sent to those who step forward to serve this community,” she wrote. “I have worked with Ms. Carrie Stucky on multiple occasions regarding parks and recreation. She is, without exaggeration, a rare force. The passion, dedication and persistence she brings to this work cannot be manufactured or bought. Volunteers like her are the backbone or our civic institutions.”

She went on to describe the situation as “revolting,” saying Carrie Stucky was placed in an unfair position and that it sends a “chilling message” to future volunteers, while noting there is no shortage of vacant volunteer seats.

“While Commissioner Stucky and Councilmember Stucky are married, the implication, spoken or unspoken, that her work is somehow invalidated or suspect because of that relationship is appalling,” Kraner said.

At the Feb 3. meeting, Evans presented the council members with two possible approaches for an ordinance addressing nepotism on city boards, commissions and committees.

Councilmember Sandi Peterson was a strong voice in the decision.

“This body has refrained from taking a stand on the issue of recusal concerning items brought to the council by committees of their family members,” she said. “This one step would avoid the very appearance of impropriety.”

Councilmember James Marrow emphatically agreed with Peterson.

“Thank you for saying it for us,” he said.