Langley's mayor works for a sustainable and equitable future

What about Langley? Mayor Scott Chaplin is bullish on this seaside town of just over 1,100 residents. Like La Conner, it is a magnet for tourists seeking fine art, eating and shopping. Unlike La Conner, Langley has Langley Creates," one of 11 certified Washington Creative Districts, a program that helps communities turn their artistic, artisanal and cultural/historical assets into economic growth. 

During conversation with Chaplin in August, he championed his "village-by-the sea." "Our progressive community values art, history, diversity, social justice, culture and the environment," noting the Whale Museum, a Dismantling Systemic Racism Commission and a historical society.

Like La Conner, residents are older, but "a real crunch with housing" means young people cannot afford living there and businesses face employee shortages and some have closed or cut back hours. The workforce pool is limited: Whidbey Island's entire population is under 70,000 and local jobs are a ferry ride away from Everett. 

What works in Langley? The Brookhaven senior housing near the center of town from which residents can walk to stores, the post office, library and movie theater. Like La Conner, there are no traffic lights. 

There are two co-housing projects in the community, a nine-home tiny housing project and a 7-unit Habitat for Humanity project. The planning director is halfway through a public involvement project to create a housing action plan, which will help bring additional funding. He received "criticisms for overstepping my role, mostly around housing issues and short-term solutions."

Residents have championed addressing the climate crisis, with a group originating from high school students asking the city council to declare a climate crisis. Sea rise is a concern. Solar panels on city hall and the library, . "Zero waste" and a significant decrease in the community's carbon footprint are often discussed goals. 

"In theory, council sets policy and I administer," he said, but he has brought "a lot of policy options to council.", but this "This fall I will switch gears and wait for them to bring issues." He will be offering regular communication with each council member between meetings to engage and support them.

The mayor is Langley's chief administrator in a strong mayor governance system. It is a full-time load on a part time salary. He suggested he get fired and a full-time city manager hired. A tight budget means limited support staff. 

A police car went by on our walk back to city hall. Langley has its own police force of three, with the island's first Black police chief. They will be hiring a fourth officer, Chaplin said. 

The city has hydrology issues. The area's shoreline is sand bluffs which occasionally slide, once closing a road down to the marina. Some commercial buildings are above the seashore and a protective seawall. Seawall Park. The seawall which shows signs of deterioration. Chaplin plans a complete analysis of area watersheds and hydrogeology in order to prevent future damage and improve stormwater management. His expansive vision includes restoration to "original conditions," recreating salmon habitat in the three creeks that run through the city if feasible.

He is sensitive to Indigenous Peoples (very few still live on Whidbey) and is building relationships with some local tribes. After the city took down two non-native "totem" poles, a former chair of the Tulalip tribe thanked the city by presenting the council with a ceremonial canoe paddle. Langley Creates is developing a "canoe culture" theme for a large piece of public land on a bluff that faces the Tulalip reservation. Chaplin lamented "unfortunately most people in our community, myself included, are almost completely unaware of our Indigenous people's history." 

All this from an accidental mayor appointed by the council in June 2021 when his predecessor stepped down after moving out of the city.