By Teddy MacQuarrie |


In a politically fraught moment in American life, fewer citizens are looking forward to next year’s presidential elections than ever. National politics is infamously turbulent, perhaps even toxic as Americans wrestle with inflation, stagnated wages, and a right-wing culture war that threatens to leave no prisoners.

Situating local politics in this moment can be tricky, as the residents of Ocean Shores have discovered in the ongoing election for mayor. Between incumbent Jon Martin and his challenging opponent City Councilman Frank Elduen, this election cycle has proven to be taxing and turbulent, with a number of open questions about the role of faith in local governance that have gone unexamined in the form of debate or discussion.

Asking the question, What should the role of faith be in the decisions of local leaders?, Coastal Pride reached out to both candidates to discuss their approach to their respective faith commitments and their decision-making processes as leaders. What emerged in this inquiry has been a discussion of what problems most acutely affect the Ocean Shores community, what norms and guiding principles guide these tough decisions, and the impact that national politics has had in shaping, and even disrupting, the local decision-making process.

Speaking to Coastal Pride, Mayor Jon Martin shared that though he’s not a current member of any particular church or congregation, “I do believe that you need to have some guiding principles, and that can be religion or that can be something else, but you need to believe in something.”

Mayor Martin describes the challenges that he sees on the horizon for the Ocean Shores community: “In ten years, if we don’t do anything, we’ll lose probably about 50 homes, possibly lose our water treatment plant and possibly have salt water in our freshwater canals,” and makes clear that, for this town, this is an existential threat.

From a social point of view, Mayor Martin explains how in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, “The biggest issue that I’m trying to improve is citizen’s outreach…people have stopped coming out of their houses. People aren’t interacting.” He describes the challenges of a town with an aging demographic who often lack local familial support, and the city’s efforts to meet the needs of these citizens.

One of the most troubling concerns Mayor Martin expresses, however, is the tenor of the current election cycle. “This election worries me,” he said to Coastal Pride. “It worries me more than I’ve ever been worried before because some of the national politics have come into local politics.”

Mayor Martin refers to the lingering questions of faith and religion in local governance caused by the religious commitments of his opponent, Councilman Elduen, who is an active member in Faith Community Church in Ocean Shores, a non-denominational Evangelical congregation.

FCCOS shares beliefs on their website inimical to LGBTQ+ individuals and families, and against women. Their website states, “Marriage is the uniting of one man and one woman in covenant commitment for a lifetime” and that “God detests all forms of sexual immorality: including adultery, homosexuality, and pornography. We do not acknowledge or approve of any form of marriage other than the marriage of one man to one woman.” On the relationship between a husband and wife, the church states, “A wife is to submit herself lovingly and respect her husband’s leadership, serving as his helper wherever possible.”

For a community with as unique a melting pot as Ocean Shores, such statements are bound to call into question whether a candidate tied to such doctrine is capable of governing for all.

Councilman Elduen has not responded to emails and requests for comment by Coastal Pride. In an earlier text message to Coastal Pride’s publisher, however, he explained that he’s not an “official member” of Faith Community Church, but that he does attend. “My faith has taught me that I should be honest and good to people. I see that as a positive in a candidate,” and assures the publisher, “I’m not a Trumper.”

“Honest and good” are positive sentiments, but their content is not clear. Exactly what Councilman Elduen’s beliefs are is still an open question, and an acute one given his affiliation with Faith Community Church.

Given the nature of Evangelical political theology, which encompasses a spectrum of views that includes Christian Dominionism, which seeks to establish the U.S. as a nation governed exclusively by Christians and has gained support in national politics in recent years, as well as a reactionary, sometimes-violent strand of social conservatism active and alive in communities across the country, Councilman Elduen, whatever his personal beliefs, possesses the burden of proof to clarify his stance on these issues that directly impact a significant portion of the Ocean Shores community.

This is a task that he has not met. Mayor Martin voices the frustration of many in the Ocean Shores community in light of Councilman Elduen’s failure to hold civil discussion on these issues. “I get frustrated because running for mayor you have a high responsibility to the citizens of the town, and they should be open to questions so they could compare and contrast.”

Mayor Martin clarified for Coastal Pride that “I believe that everybody should be who they want to be, especially in Ocean Shores.” Explaining the role that faith commitments play in his decision-making process as mayor, he said, “I actually find it fairly easy. In my personal life, I try to treat everybody with respect, [and] understand that we typically come from different backgrounds and different beliefs, and I try to be accepting of each individual.”

Asked about his relationship to local religious communities, Mayor Martin offered, “I see the work that our churches do in our community…but I also believe from a city point of view that we should be blind to religion and race and sexual orientation, that we should deal with each person as an individual and deal with those individual needs. I have meetings with leaders in the church, and I’ve always found those meetings to be helpful and positive.

He added, “You elect a person because they have the best thoughts of what the city needs, and if you disagree with that that’s debated.”

The citizens of Ocean Shores have not had that chance. LGBTQ+ residents do not have the clarity they need to know if they can trust Councilman Elduen to hold their concerns with care. In a national atmosphere in which LGBTQ+ rights are under constant siege by leaders and citizens pronouncing exactly the beliefs his chosen church professes, the question that emerges behind the question of faith and good governance is trust.

Can LGBTQ+ trust Councilman Frank Elduen? Or should they continue to trust Mayor Jon Martin?


Teddy MacQuarrie is a Seattle-based writer and Ph.D. student with a background in Queer life, human sexuality, religion, and arts and culture.
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