Barbara Brenner, who served on the Whatcom County Council for nearly 30 years, dies at 78
Former Whatcom County Council member Barbara Brenner, who was beloved by her colleagues and constituents alike and was one of the area’s longest-serving elected leaders, has died.
Brenner was 78 and died Feb. 9 while surrounded by family at their home east of Ferndale, according to her oldest son, Wesley Brenner, who said the cause of death was from complications of a lengthy respiratory illness.
“She was as loving and passionate a mother as she was a council member,” Wesley said in a phone interview. “She instilled a strong sense of compassion, fairness and justice in us.”
Brenner never sought higher office, preferring instead to serve as close to home as possible, her son said.
“It’s so incredibly rare these days to say ‘How can I help people where I am?’ Rather than looking to take the next step” to another political office, he said.
She never joined a political party or took contributions, opting instead to self-finance her election campaigns to avoid any appearance of favoritism or outside influence, Wes said.
According to a 2015 Bellingham Herald article, Brenner filed a complaint against her own campaign when she realized that she had been discussing election business on her official office phone in violation of state law.
As part of her pledge to remain accessible to voters, Brenner’s home phone number was publicly listed. Her voice remains on the land line’s answering machine at 360-384-2762. Wes encouraged well-wishers to call and leave a voicemail.
Praise from colleagues
A longtime friend and colleague, County Councilman Barry Buchanan remembered that Brenner was fond of high-quality dark chocolate and kept a stash to share in desk at the Whatcom County Courthouse. She often brought homemade chocolate confections to council meetings.
“She had a really good way with people. She was always there at community events like ribbon-cuttings, business openings. And she was winning elections by more than 60 percent,” Buchanan told The Herald.
He and Brenner didn’t always see eye to eye politically, but Buchanan said in a phone interview that he admired her style and respected her commitment to local issues.
Possibly her most important accomplishment was persuading phone companies to end what was known as “local long distance” charges, Buchanan said.
”You know, it would cost more to call Everson or Nooksack from Bellingham,” Buchanan said. “That was back in the day before cellphones, and everybody was still using land lines a lot. I never figured out how she was able to do that.”
Buchanan said Brennan was “an independent thinker” who was difficult to stereotype politically, even though she represented a rural and generally conservative part of Whatcom County.
“You never knew where she was going to come down on an issue. She could be abrupt — but she was just speaking her mind,” he said.
First campaign in 1989
Brenner represented the County Council’s District 3 position B, which is now District 4, from 1991 to 2019, and decided not to run for an eighth consecutive term.
Brenner first ran for the County Council’s at-large position in November 1989, losing to Dennis Vander Yacht, 51%-49%, according to Whatcom County election archives.
She won her first seat two years later, defeating Roger Almskaar 64% to 36% for District 3 position B. She ran unopposed for her last four-year term in 2015.
Start in politics
Brenner got her start in public service during a fight to regulate the burning of medical waste, which she believed had made her youngest son and other Whatcom County residents sick. For her effort, she was honored by the Giraffe Heroes Project for “sticking her neck out”:
“(Brenner) went to the state Capitol and sat on the steps of the Legislature for 10 weeks, holding a sign that read, ‘An illegal incinerator is making our family sick,’” the organization’s website states. “Staying there day after day, talking to legislators and staffers, her two children at her side, Brenner got some attention, including an appointment with the governor. Barbara Brenner spent several years and $12,000 of her own money fighting the company that owned the incinerator, getting them 21 citations, thousands of dollars in fines, and safety changes in their procedures.”
Whatcom County Executive Satpal Sidhu served with Brenner when he was a member of the County Council from 2015-2019.
“It was an honor to have had the opportunity to serve alongside Councilmember Brenner. She was a true firebrand on the council for nearly three decades, and it was clear that she was driven to get the best outcomes for our community,” Sidhu told The Herald in an email.
‘Honor and a privilege’
At her final County Council meeting on Dec. 3, 2019, the County Council presented her with a plaque honoring her service, and everyone in the Council Chambers — including more than 100 people in the audience — gave her a standing ovation.
“It’s been a privilege and an honor to serve with you, Barbara,” Councilman Rud Browne said at the meeting.
As a tribute, one of Brenner’s own works of art was displayed in Council Chambers.
Barbara E. Brenner was born Oct. 10, 1946, in the Boston area, the third of five children of Ernest and Elinor Brenner. Her father was a Marine Corps colonel and a World War II veteran. The family moved often.
Brenner moved to the Bellingham area in 1982 from Fairbanks, Alaska, where she had a studio and worked as an artist. She previously lived in Florida and South and Central America, Wes said.
She took college courses in several locations around the country before moving to Bellingham and earning a degree at Western Washington University, he said.
Public services planned
Brenner is survived by her husband, Ed; sons Wes and Collin; and three sisters. Her parents and a brother died previously.
Private graveside services were Wednesday at Greenacres Memorial Park, near the family home.
A public memorial is planned in May, Wes said.
Contributions in her memory can be made to the Sean Humphrey House or a mental health nonprofit such as NAMI Whatcom.
This story was originally published February 22, 2025 at 5:00 AM.
