Ousted commissioner: Port of Bellingham will be in ‘good hands’ with successor
At the Port of Bellingham’s first Board of Commissioner’s meeting of 2026, first-time Port Commissioner Carly James was sworn in to her new role — the second time in history and the first time in more than 20 years that a woman has served in the role.
Commissioner James was met with applause as Commissioner Michael Shepard publicly welcomed her to the Tuesday, Jan. 6 meeting, noting that Ginny Benton was the first woman to be elected to serve as a Bellingham Port Commissioner.
“It’s been since 1996 when the first woman was elected at the Port of Bellingham between 1996 and 2004,” Commissioner Shepard said.
Whatcom County Auditor Stacy Henthorn conducted the official swearing in of Commissioner James and Commissioner Shepard, who ran unopposed in the November election.
James comes to the role after ousting former two-term Commissioner Ken Bell, who spoke during the public comment period of the meeting to welcome James to the position and thank her for her service.
“I came here first of all because I wouldn’t have missed the first meeting for Carly for anything in the world,” Bell said.
“I just want you to know that for those of you that came to support her thank you for doing that. Even though you worked actively against me, I still love you. All of you. Almost all of you,” Bell joked to a laughing crowd.
Bell commended Commissioner James for her efforts to understand and dive into the port’s agenda, saying her willingness to “deep-dive” into new issues was “off the chart.”
“I don’t think you’re ever going to find a harder working port commissioner than you will in Carly James. I think the port will be well-served with Carly James,” Bell said. “You’re going to find somebody who cares deeply, understands nuance and is not afraid to ask questions, nor is she afraid to buck power. I stand as a testimony to that.”
Commissioner James won with about 51% of the votes, securing 1,564 more votes than Bell in the Nov. 4, 2025 general election.
Commissioner James owns three local businesses: Bison Bookbinding & Letterpress; Gold Ink, an accounting service and consulting firm; and Yacht Dogs, a hot dog stand at the waterfront Granary Building. She earned a bachelor’s degree in accounting from Western Washington University, according to previous Herald reporting.
There are currently three non-partisan Port of Bellingham commissioner positions, each representing a different district in Whatcom County. That governing body will soon increase to five commissioners after voters also approved a commission expansion initiative in the November election.
This story was originally published January 8, 2026 at 5:00 AM.
