Just how localized should local government be?
That was the question at the heart of a Saturday morning debate between Whatcom County Council members Barbara Brenner and Sam Crawford over whether to keep the district-only voting model that county voters approved in 2005.
Voters will weigh in again this November after Brenner led a movement to readdress the issue, saying that voters were not properly informed on the pros and cons last time around.
Under district-only voting, voters may only vote for candidates that represent their district and at-large candidates. Under the county-wide system, all county voters vote for all positions, regardless of district.
Crawford, a proponent of the district-only system, hailed it as a way to ensure that rural interests are not overridden by those from the city. Brenner, an opponent of the system, countered that council members should have to answer to all county voters, since they regularly make decisions that affect the entire county.
For Brenner, the issue boils down to a fundamental question: Do county residents — whether in a condominium in Bellingham or on a farm in Acme — have more shared or competing interests?
“It’s very important that the county stays together,” Brenner said. “I don’t want to be part of anything that divides it more.”
But Crawford said the district- only system was more democratic than the countywide system, saying many rural residents feel their interests are not addressed by county government.
“(Whatcom County) has an interesting set of sub-cultures,” Crawford said. “These citizens want a voice in county government.”
Crawford pointed to examples of candidates winning the overwhelming support of their district in the primary election, which was district-only under the old system, only to lose to an opposing candidate when the entire county voted in the general election.
Gerrit Kuiken spoke at the debate, saying this scenario described his 1991 bid to represent the second district, which includes the Lynden, Everson and Kendall areas. Kuiken said his opponent, Larry Harris, narrowly won after campaigning on Lake Whatcom environmental issues, even though the lake was not located in his district.
Brenner responded by saying Lake Whatcom, transportation and many other issues the council deals with affect the entire county. Carving the county into districts simplifies voters and issues into rural vs. urban or Republican vs. Democrat, she said.
“You can’t break people down into black and white like that,” Brenner said. “Some (voters) elect people based on the character of the person, not by ideology.”
The League of Women Voters organized the debate, which included a presentation on the use of proportional representation instead of winner-take-all elections.