By Frank Scelzi

The Oak Harbor City Council misrepresented to the public how the downtown merchants and builing owners felt about turning Pioneer Way into a one-way street:

Councilmen Bob Severns said it was a 50/50 vote by property owners.

Councilman Rick Almberg said it was a one-third, one-third, one-third vote by business owners.

Mayor Jim Slowik said it was only a small interest group against the one-way.

The fact is, over 90 percent of the downtown merchants and thousands of signatures on petitions from the public were against the one-way decision.

Vancover, Wash., and Redmond are continuing to switch back from one-way to a two-way streets after losing their downtown merchants, millions in revenues and millions for their necessary two-way renovations.

Businesses are vacating the downtown area. There have been eight new vacancies, four more not renewing leases and at least three more maybe leaving. Many more are waiting to find out what time of day the construction will take place.

Former Mayor Patty Cohen requested that council re-visit their one-way decision due to the public concern of a pre determined outcome.

The Windjammer award was for diverse community participation and a historical renovation on a two-way street. There has been no community participation from downtown merchants or planning on this project and it is not a historical renovation for the only historical area left in Oak Harbor.

Small businesses are what support a large part of our city’s economy.

Mayor Slowik promised building owners and merchants he would have Perteet develop a better two-way plan. He never disclosed there was a two-way plan proposed that had just as much parking as the one-way the city promoted to the public as preferred due to more parking.

It would be unethical if not illegal for a city council member with an interest in the downtown to not have recused themselves from the decision to go one-way. Councilman Almberg publicly announced he did not have a personal interest in the downtown, but we later learned that he does.

Councilman Almberg stated on two separate occasions that Oak Harbor needed “high end, upscale businesses for our community.” Oak Harbor has a 63 percent low income ratio and an average household income of $44,000 per year.

The city council has publicly demeaned downtown businesses by criticizing them about the way their businesses are being run. This is not the purview of the council.

Councilman Danny Paggao said, “Losing those downtown merchants would be like losing NAS Whidbey.”

None of the concerns brought forward about the one-way by Councilman Scott Dudley were addressed by city council. Nor have they resolved the issues.

The city of Oak Harbor and the chamber of commerce have done nothing to stop the outgo of businesses from our city and downtown area.

City council members and Mayor Slowik have misled the public, not followed through with their commitments, held illegal proceedings concerning the one-way decision, publicly denied having an interest in this project and after spending funds to hire an appraiser and telling downtown building owners the city would buy the sidewalks from them to aid in their recovery, they have consulted attorneys to take the property we have been paying taxes on, liable for and maintained.

The cost of this project has continued to climb. No one knows the complete cost of this proposed “modest” $4.5 million project, now up to $8.43 million.

The city is considering spending not the $90,000 Mayor Slowik stated for the paper but approximately $180,000 on a public relations company just to communicate with the public.

“Why” is always the question.

Why would city officials have a total disregard for the loss of 250 jobs? Why would the city not have done at least a minimal amount of studies and consulted planning and the community for help by merchants, building owners and people who lease commercial spaces?

Why would the city hand out awards for the Windjammer project and on the same night make a decision to not use it?

Why would they take such a high risk of sending downtown Oak Harbor into a downward, crippling spiral that we may never completely recover from?

Frank Scelzi was recently elected president of the Harborside Merchants Association. He and Kristi Jensen own the Purple Moon gift shop and several downtown buildings.