BELLINGHAM - In a year when incumbent City Council members Terry Bornemann and Jack Weiss are running unopposed for reelection, the twists and turns of city politics have left Third Ward incumbent Barry Buchanan facing a tough challenge from Cathy Lehman in his race for a second four-year term.

Back in June 2010, Buchanan became the first to announce plans to challenge Mayor Dan Pike's reelection bid. Buchanan's mayoral aspirations seemed to leave his council seat open, and in 2011, two strong candidates filed to seek it: Cathy Lehman, director of the Whatcom County chapter of Futurewise, and Larry Farr, former chairman of the city's parking commission.

But in March 2011, former state legislator Kelli Linville upset the political chessboard by launching her own campaign against Pike. Buchanan deferred to her and announced he would seek a second term on the council. Farr then decided to drop his bid for Third Ward seat to challenge at-large incumbent Seth Fleetwood instead.

Lehman stayed in the Third Ward race. In an interview, she said she had been planning a council run even before Buchanan's mayoral announcement, after she was recruited by Washington Conservation Voters. She decided to stay in the race against Buchanan because, as she tells it, the people she has talked to have no clear idea of what Buchanan stands for.

Lehman has the endorsement of Washington Conservation Voters - the same group that is campaigning hard for Pike because of the mayor's outspoken opposition to SSA Marine's Gateway Pacific Terminal coal-shipment port at Cherry Point. Lehman's own stance on the terminal is comparatively muted.

"I am officially neutral on the SSA Cherry Point project," she said in her written response to a candidate questionnaire from The Bellingham Herald.

Lehman wrote that it is important to consider the jobs such a project might create, but she is also concerned that "the project as currently outlined would likely compromise the health and well-being of Bellingham residents."

Lehman said the city needs to stay involved as the environmental impact study process moves ahead.

"This project is likely to be litigated for a couple of years, during which time talks will continue," she wrote. "I want to ensure that all parties will continue communication with me as that process unfolds, because when communication stalls, possibilities for a win-win end."

Buchanan has the endorsement of the Northwest Washington Central Labor Council, an enthusiastic backer of the Gateway Pacific project. But his stance on Gateway Pacific is not strikingly different from Lehman's. If anything, his outlook on it is more negative.

"I am not in favor of burning coal anywhere in the world because of greenhouse gas and climate change issues," Buchanan wrote.

He also expressed concern about health and traffic impacts, saying he wants the council to contact the Washington Department of Health to make sure that health impacts are adequately analyzed. He also noted that while Bellingham has no direct authority over the project, the city can make its influence felt as the environmental study process moves ahead.

On other issues, Buchanan and Lehman can be difficult to tell apart:

• Both favor increasing city water bills to raise more money for protection of Lake Whatcom water quality.

• Both are leaning against maintaining a hotly debated city contract with a private company for operation of traffic enforcement cameras. But they also want to see the outcome of the November citizen advisory vote as well as the effectiveness of the cameras after the year of operation that the city is legally committed to conduct.

• Both are in favor of the city ordinance that will eventually ban the use of most plastic shopping bags within the city, although Lehman says there are probably more important issues that the council should have been focused on.

While their political philosophies may not be far apart, the issues they choose to emphasize appear different.

Lehman, who lives downtown, talks passionately about the need to focus city energy on downtown economic health. She wants to work with businesses and property owners to clear away regulations that may be hampering downtown economic activity.

"If we want this kind of activity, we have to make it financially attractive," Lehman said. "That's how our country works. That's how our system works."

She also stresses walkable neighborhoods and robust public transit.

Buchanan said he has worked hard to prevent the potential breakup of the countywide emergency medical services system, threatened by Whatcom County's discontent with Bellingham's lead role and a nasty union squabble that has disrupted the training of new EMTs operating in the Ferndale area.

"We're working really hard toward keeping it unified," Buchanan said. "The whole thing is about good patient outcomes. We can do it in a more cost-effective way if we stay unified."

He also pledges to make public safety a budget priority amid tough economic times, making sure that police department staffing levels are maintained or increased.

ABOUT THE CANDIDATES

BARRY BUCHANAN

Age: 56

Education: Bellingham High School, San Jose City College and Ohlone College, computer science.

Job experience: U.S. Navy; Lockheed; Heath Tecna; currently vice president of Bianchi Group-Industrial Training.

Civic experience: One term on City Council; formerly president of Lettered Streets Neighborhood Association and chairman of Whatcom County Democratic Party; co-founder and head drum major of Bellingham High School Alumni Band.

Endorsements: Bellingham City Employees Union AFSCME Local 114, Whatcom County/Bellingham Firefighters Local 106, Bellingham Police Guild, Bellingham City Employees Supervisors and Professional Union Teamsters Local 231, Northwest Washington Central Labor Council, North Sound Democrats, Whatcom County Association of Realtors.

CATHY LEHMAN

Age: 34

Education: BA in communications, WWU; graduate certificate in sustainable business, Bainbridge Graduate Institute

Job experience: Whatcom County chapter director, Futurewise; sustainable business development manager, Sustainable Connections; retired and senior volunteer program director, Whatcom Volunteer Center; English teacher, Dalian, China; community voice mail coordinator, Opportunity Council

Civic experience: Whatcom Conservation Voters board of directors; Downtown Bellingham Partnership board of directors; Wellspring Community School board of directors; Girls on the Run of NW Washington board of directors.

Endorsements: Whatcom Conservation Voters; Whatcom County Democrats; Whatcom Young Democrats; Sierra Club, Mount Baker Group; National Women's Political Caucus of NW Washington; Progressive Majority; NARAL; Amalgamated Transit Union, Local 843.

ELECTION COVERAGE

Check Bellinghamherald.com/elections for news on the November election, including:

• Q and A's from these candidates along with those in contested races across Whatcom County;

• Links to candidates' websites;

• Recent articles on the local races;

• Headlines on races and measures across the state and country.