Oak Harbor Art Commission adopts officer slate, begins bylaw edits to tie 2025 art plan to duties

The Oak Harbor Art Commission organized its 2026 leadership and opened a discussion about changing its bylaws to more clearly link the commission’s powers to the city’s 2025 art plan.

JR Russell, who presided at the meeting, called it the commission’s first session of the year and led roll call before commissioners approved the meeting agenda and prior minutes by voice vote. The commission reappointed student representative Reese Wasinger for the coming term and, by voice vote, advanced nominations that kept Russell as chair and installed Tracy Davidson as vice chair for 2026.

Why it matters: Commissioners said clarifying the commission’s responsibilities in the bylaws will help the body steward the art plan and avoid confusion about roles when projects move toward council review. Commissioner Cynthia Mason proposed language to “implement, steward and advance the City of Oak Harbor’s art plan adopted in 2025,” and asked that identifying funding sources be called out explicitly as part of the commission’s duties.

Staff response and process: Mikael Finkel, the city’s executive services coordinator, said staff had not proposed changes and asked whether the commission wanted the suggested wording advanced as a recommendation. “Right now, staff hadn’t proposed any changes. So we can take that as a recommendation,” Finkel said, and explained that any adopted draft bylaw edits would likely move to council as an ordinance amendment because the commission’s rules are part of the city code.

The commission discussed whether to replace the existing subsection language or to add a new subsection calling out the art plan and funding identification. Commissioners agreed to work on wordsmithing the proposal, forward it to the chair for review and return it for further consideration at a future meeting and, if approved by the commission, to route it to council for formal adoption.

Meeting operations: Commissioners confirmed the regular meeting schedule — 5:00 p.m. on the second Thursday of every month for 2026 — by voice vote. Members also discussed routine matters in the bylaws, such as absence-notification language and the longstanding requirement to provide an annual written report or work plan to the mayor and council.

What’s next: Staff will incorporate commissioner edits, return a draft for review and advise whether the change requires an ordinance amendment for council consideration. The commission plans a workshop to prioritize maintenance and project lists before advancing formal bylaw edits or items requiring council action.