Small-town mayors back conservative County Council candidates, hope to send message

SAM TAYLOR - THE BELLINGHAM HERALD

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Whatcom County's six small-city mayors have banded together to endorse four conservative County Council candidates in hopes of sending a message to their opponents, some of the mayors said.

Not all of the mayors have sat down to discuss matters with the conservative challengers, but they say the group endorsement signals a lack of confidence in the current council.

In contrast, Bellingham Mayor Dan Pike has endorsed two of the council incumbents, Carl Weimer and Laurie Caskey-Schreiber.

The issue centers largely on how much each city should grow, and how much urban-growth area should be reserved for later expansion by the cities.

In short, most cities want to keep more urban-growth area than does the county. Bellingham officials have also disagreed with the county's proposal.

The small-city mayors say council members seeking re-election haven't been listening to them.

"I just care that we get some cooperation," said Sumas Mayor Bob Bromley.

However, the update of urban-growth boundaries that the mayors are blaming on the council is actually a recommendation from County Executive Pete Kremen's administration.

The mayors of Lynden, Sumas, Ferndale, Everson, Nooksack and Blaine jointly endorsed candidates Kathy Kershner, Mary Beth Teigrob, Bill Knutzen and Michelle Luke.

Their opponents are, respectively, former County Councilman Dan McShane, Planning Commissioner Ken Mann, Councilwoman Caskey-Schreiber and Councilman Weimer.

Ferndale Mayor Gary Jensen said it was "fair to say" that the group statement amounted to a non-endorsement of the current council, as well as of McShane, who is seeking re-election, and of Mann, who has played a role in the debate over urban-growth areas.

Jensen said he has been frustrated with the county administration's proposal about how Ferndale should grow, and hopes to impact both sets of candidates.

"I'm probably being a little Pollyanna-ish there that they would both hear the message that the mayors are trying to send, 'We matter, listen to us, we're on the ground in our communities,'" he said.

County planners say statistics, projections and historical trends don't support how much Ferndale and the other small cities want to grow. But Jensen says he wants Ferndale residents to be able to shop and work inside the city, instead of spending their money, and sales taxes, in Bellingham.

The progressive candidates say they don't understand why they're being faulted for a Kremen administration proposal.

"It's a little odd sending a message via a political campaign," McShane said.

He said part of the debate is whether the small cities can afford to provide such core services as water and utilities to areas that would be annexed, and said that should concern fiscal conservatives.

"How are these cities going to be able to pay for these areas?," McShane asked. "That's what the county is asking for at this time."

Caskey-Schreiber said the council hasn't debated the issue yet, so she didn't understand the mayors' criticism. As a part-time council member with a full-time job, she said she tries her best to find time for the small cities and her constituents.

"I don't have any staff," she said. "I try to be as responsive as I can."

Jensen said a letter written recently by Weimer shows that the councilman, and perhaps the others, have already made up their minds. Weimer wrote a private letter to supporters after the mayors and Kremen endorsed his opponent, Michelle Luke.

"This endorsement seems to be a clear message from them that they are unhappy that for the first time in the planning history for setting UGAs county-wide the County seems intent on following (the Growth Management Act) and protecting resource lands," Weimer wrote.

Weimer noted the letter was written after the endorsements, not before.

"I think the claim that we haven't listened is just silly," he said. "We formed the (Growth Management Coordinating Council) that met monthly and then weekly for a long time as a way to include them. We've sat through hundreds of hours of testimony, so we have been listening."

Mann said he respects the mayors, but disagrees with them on the issue of urban-growth areas.

"I assume the mayors are doing what they think is best for their small segment of Whatcom County," he said. "On the County Council and Planning Commission, you have to look at the big picture, and do what's best for the entire population of Whatcom County," he said.