Candidates encouraged not to run for south Whatcom fire commissions

PETER JENSEN - THE BELLINGHAM HERALD

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Five commissioner positions in four fire districts in southern Whatcom County are up for election this year, but the districts are discouraging candidates from filing to run.

And no, they aren't trying to be undemocratic.

The districts, Nos. 2, 6, 9 and 10, formed the South Whatcom Fire Authority after receiving voter approval to do so last year. This reduced the number of commissioners from 12 to five, one for each geographic area of the authority (District 2 has representatives for both Geneva and Sudden Valley).

While the districts have already formed into one entity, state law requires that each district's residents legally dissolve the district by approving a ballot measure in this fall's general election, Whatcom County Auditor Shirley Forslof said.

That means that the five commissioner positions that technically don't exist are still legally up for election, Forslof said.

The incumbent commissioners agreed not to run this year, and no one has expressed interest in filing to run, said the authority's fire chief, Dave Ralston.

"I'm not aware of anyone who's going to run," Ralston said. "Typically our commissioner positions don't have a lot of interest in them."

Ralston said if anyone files to run, the fire authority has to pay the elections costs. Those costs could be expensive if multiple people file for the same open commissioner position and necessitate a primary election, which the authority would have to pay for, Ralston said.

The filing week is June 1- 5. If no one files for open positions up for election, Whatcom County Auditor Shirley Forslof is legally required to hold a special three-day filing period and notify the public of the openings. Ralston hopes no one takes her up on the offer.

"It would be silly to have that happen," Ralston said.