There’s talk of expanding Bellingham’s Port Commission to five members. What would it take?
More than a dozen Whatcom County community members made their opinions heard during a Port of Bellingham public hearing Tuesday evening on the issue of increasing the number of Port commissioners to five.
The board currently includes three commissioners — Ken Bell, Bobby Briscoe and Michael Shepard.
Commissioner Bell proposed the idea during a Sept. 17 meeting to facilitate an open discussion and support informed decision-making about the possible increase.
The change could only occur through the ballot measure process. It would require one of two actions: the commission chooses to adopt a resolution proposing the increase; or a public petition proposing the increase is submitted to the Whatcom County Auditor’s Office after being signed by at least 10 percent of the number of voters who voted at the last general election, which was 139,080, according to the Whatcom County Auditor’s website.
Once conditions are met, the choice would then go to Whatcom County voters.
Most of the public comment at the Dec. 17 meeting expressed strong support for increasing the number of commissioners, arguing the change would bring greater community-wide representation and improved decision-making for Port operations.
“I believe this is a prudent move and a timely move. I firmly believe that the voters will welcome such a ballot measure,” said South Hill Neighborhood Association board member Michael Chrzastowski at the meeting. “This will add a new and valuable layer to the fabric of the Commission.”
“My thinking is the complexity of the Port as well as the complexity of the County demands more representation. I would encourage you to put it on the ballot,” said former Bellingham Mayor and former Whatcom County Parks and Recreation Director Ken Hertz at the meeting. “Let’s let the people of Whatcom County make that decision.”
But some community members told the board they did not support the potential increase, saying the move could complicate bureaucracy.
“I’m speaking against it. We need less government, not more government,” said Bellingham resident Joe Schmidt. “Any time you add more people to a committee or a commission, it just adds more time and more confusion. I think it would be more streamlined to have three instead of five.”
Others said they encouraged bringing the vote to Whatcom County residents but said they were concerned this change was being championed by a small group of residents that doesn’t necessarily share the same values as all of the county’s residents.
“If you can get from the public an overwhelming support that they want five commissioners, then it’s your duty to put it on the ballot,” said former candidate for Port Commissioner and lifelong commercial fisherman Doug Karlberg. “But 200 noisy people or 500 noisy people in a county of 230,000 people is a hummingbird burp in the wind — that’s all it is.”
The Executive Committee of Save The Waterfront, a local group that has opposed heavy industrial operation along Bellingham’s waterfront, voted unanimously this fall to support any efforts the Port makes to place a five-commissioner proposition on the ballot in 2025.
“The port is more than just a waterfront organization,” the group said in an earlier release about their support for a larger commission. “It is an engine for powerful economic development throughout Whatcom County. Port Commissioners are highly responsible for not only the marine trades, but industry, housing, tourism, recreation, technology, jobs and business development countywide.”
“Given the county’s growth since the port was established in 1920, and its expanding range of responsibilities, increasing the number of commissioners by two would enhance the Port Commission’s expertise and improve representation for the growing population,” the release states.
In 2016 the Center of Economic and Business Research at Western Washington University found that the port’s economic impact is felt broadly across Whatcom County, where it facilitates roughly 6,000 jobs or about 7% of the total workforce, according to previous reporting by The Bellingham Herald.
The Auditor’s Office lists Feb. 5 as the next date for a special election, though no ballot items are currently slated for that date.
