Two candidates who have filed for public office for the first time will be squaring off for Poulsbo City Council’s Position 5 seat, a four-year term that begins Jan. 1, 2026.

The seat is currently held by longtime councilmember Ed Stern, who did not file for re-election as he is instead running for Poulsbo mayor. The candidates running for Stern’s spot are Kevin Sheen and Michael Fitzpatrick.

Sheen is the co-owner of Away With Words Bookshop in downtown Poulsbo and is also the co-founder, director and president of the recently established Poulsbo Film Festival Foundation. He was formerly the marketing coordinator at Fishline Food Bank. Sheen’s community service includes being a youth basketball coach for Poulsbo Parks & Recreation, an assistant coach in North Kitsap Little League and a member of Crossroads Rotary. He holds a bachelor’s degree in film, performing arts and humanities from Evergreen State College and also earned a certificate in web design and digital content from Seattle University.

Fitzpatrick is a former U.S. Army Sergeant and is currently a college literature and philosophy instructor, per the voters pamphlet. His community service includes teaching at a halfway house for female parolees and serving meals at a homeless shelter. He holds a bachelor’s degree in English and philosophy from Cal-State Chico and a master’s degree in literature from the same school. Fitzpatrick also earned a master’s degree in philosophy from Stanford University.

Both candidates were asked two questions to respond to.

What would be your top priorities if elected?

Sheen: Hello, Poulsbo! My overall vision for Poulsbo is to continue to grow and develop an inclusive, diverse, and high-quality of life that is reflected daily in our residents. I want everyone to feel like they belong here and can make a positive impact in more than one way. Poulsbo has invested a lot into me and our business downtown on Front Street, as well as the nonprofit I co-founded in 2022 and now in our fourth year, which is the Poulsbo Film Festival.

Because of this, I believe I must continue to invest back into Poulsbo and this community I’ve gotten to know so well over the last five years of living here as an adult. This was a great place to grow up, and I’m so glad I returned. I felt that the City Council was an opportunity to give back to the city I love, where I own a home, raise two children and share countless moments with my amazing partner and wife, Bittina. I believe this community provides opportunities for all walks of life and that’s something worth nurturing and protecting.

I’m certain the general needs and priorities will change throughout the term, but my overall interests fall into supporting affordable housing, senior and youth opportunities, economic development, and maintaining a healthy communication between city leadership and the residents of our community. I think we could certainly spend some additional time and energy supporting the youth and continuing to pursue this community goal. The same could be said for our senior community and focusing on developing or growing a senior center that offers a variety of programs and longer operating hours for members. I also believe priorities will be what the community brings to the City Council and always happy to listen to concerns and opinions surrounding the policies of the city.

Fitzpatrick: My primary focus is listening. Too often, those of us elected to office try to impose an agenda. I don’t want to do that. While I have a perspective and ideas regarding the needs of Poulsbo, I would much rather learn about the needs and concerns of my neighbors and advance their policy goals before my own. My top priority is to be someone easy to talk to, readily accessible, and willing to work hard to ensure that all our residents thrive.

That said, I will be a voice on the council pressing for more urgency in addressing the gap in Poulsbo and Kitsap between wages and the cost of housing. The city needs to be more proactive, not merely reactive, in preparing the city for the unavoidable population increases our town will continue to experience.

Another area of my focus will be on how to revitalize Poulsbo’s opportunities for intergenerational community and fun. We need better facilities for our senior citizen population, but at the same time, those facilities should be places where families and children feel welcome. Loneliness and isolation remain major social problems for people of all ages, so finding ways to come together will improve the quality of life for all. Cross-generational play is one of the best ways to build lasting friendships and cultural belonging.

Why should voters elect you?

Sheen: Firstly, I have major respect for Michael Fitzpatrick for stepping up and offering to help support, guide, and put the community first. I believe Michael and I are community members who care deeply for our city and want to see us continue to thrive and offer everyone a home they can feel proud to represent.

I’ve developed incredibly close bonds with Poulsbo and want everyone to know that I am committed to strengthening all aspects of life here for everyone. We are all on the same team, and any concerns you may share are also my concerns that will be taken seriously. Thank you for your consideration, and thank you for voting!

Fitzpatrick: I’m an Army veteran; I served two tours in Iraq in the mid-2000s. Today I work as a part-time college philosophy instructor. My years of military service, education, and teaching have afforded me skills, knowledge, and a temperament that would be of use to my fellow citizens. I am a person of high integrity, committed to transparency, honesty, and humility in my decision-making process and my willingness to change my mind.

My wife and I are a working-class family here in town, struggling with the cost of living and anxious to find a home that we can afford to buy. I think it’s important to have working-class people serving in government and making decisions. The best way to ensure government solves problems for all of us is if the people serving in government share those problems.

Because I teach philosophy, my strengths include an ability to facilitate discussion, to hear multiple sides of complex issues, and to look for problem-solving opportunities that serve the common good. I’m a genuine non-partisan; I’ve been an independent voter for more than 15 years, committed to making government dependable. I’m here to listen to your needs and concerns, and to collaborate efficiently and effectively with fellow city councilmembers on how to craft policies that benefit the whole community. If having more of these traits on your city council interests you, then please enlist my service with your vote.