Here’s a look at the candidates running for the Port of Bellingham’s District 2 seat
With Whatcom’s economy getting back on track after the COVID-19 pandemic restrictions and big waterfront environmental issues that need to be addressed, the Port of Bellingham plays a big role on where things go from here. Three candidates for the District 2 port commission seat each have a distinct set of priorities for the coming years.
With three candidates, the District 2 race is the only one with a primary runoff for the Port of Bellingham. Only voters in the district, the northeast portion of the county from part of Bellingham to Lynden, Sumas and the Mount Baker foothills, will vote in the primary. Those primary ballots are due Tuesday, Aug. 3.
In the November general election, all registered Whatcom County voters can vote in this race for the two who received the most votes in the primary. The winner of the race will serve a four-year term on the three-person commission.
Here’s a closer look at each of the three candidates. Information for these for these profiles comes from responses to questions emailed to the candidates from The Bellingham Herald, the voter’s pamphlet and from the Washington State Public Disclosure Commission.
Ken Bell
Bell, the incumbent, was elected to the position in 2017. While serving as Port Commissioner he said the single most important personal qualification is temperament, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“We have been through a lot and the ability to navigate through crisis was put to the test. I am proud of the way we have been able to work together as a commission. We managed to bring three very different personalities, political persuasions, and missions together for the benefit of the people of Whatcom County,” Bell said in an email.
Bell has out-raised the other two candidates by a wide margin. As of Thursday, July 22, he’d raised $39,405, according to Public Disclosure Commission records. More than half of Bell’s major contributors are from the local business community, with many representing construction and waterfront companies. Bell’s biggest contributor to date is the IAFF Local 106 Bellingham/Whatcom County firefighters association, which donated $2,000.
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Bell owns the Iron Creek Group, which focuses on oil spill cleanup work. The company recently started a cleanup project in Canada near Glacier National Park. With the port involved in a variety of clean-up activities, including on the Bellingham waterfront, Bell believes his first-hand knowledge is an asset when making decisions about those projects.
The redevelopment of the former Georgia-Pacific project takes up a big part of the Port’s activities these days. Bell said the Ireland-based developer Harcourt Developments has proven to be an unreliable partner in this endeavor and that the port is working to change that relationship.
“We have had our hands tied by a contract signed years ago. We faced either riding out the contract or going into expensive litigation. Neither of these were acceptable. That’s about to change,” Bell said. “My vision includes a realignment of the Harcourt contract. It involves the Port becoming a more active participant in the development of the land. The development should be pedestrian-friendly and filled with a wide variety of businesses. Diversity will be our strength.”
When asked about his priorities as a commissioner, Bell mentioned the need to finish the work started in 2019 to bring broadband access for unserved areas of Whatcom County.
“Today because of our early efforts we are positioned to have this backbone completed and then we can begin work on how we get the last mile of service to every home,” Bell said.
Other priorities for Bell include keeping a working waterfront, build on the success of the Bellingham International Airport with the arrival of Southwest Airlines, continue to rebuild Blaine Harbor and continued cooperation with the Lummi and Nooksack tribes. Bell also wants to look into providing parking in the Fairhaven area.
“There is a great need for a structure, and we will be involved in bringing that to the table,” Bell said.
One issue that has come up regularly is whether to expand the number of commissioners from three to five. Bell said after pondering it for the last couple of years and consulting with others in the community, he leans toward keeping it at three commissioners so that discussions remain in public meetings with no “backroom deals.”
“The three commissioner structure ensures that all discussions involving the port are conducted in public,” Bell said. “With five commissioners this would not be the case. Two commissioners could get together at any time and come to an agreement outside of the public view.”
Bell’s campaign website is kenforport.com.
Austin Chapin
Chapin believes the port is currently beholden to special interests and has lost sight of the needs of those who use its infrastructure.
“Those in our community who boat or fly and who have a significant long-term interests in the marinas or the airport feel trampled on and have had their rights to use these facilities assaulted by recent port decisions and actions of port staff,” said Chapin, who is a pilot for Horizon Air as well as a flight/instrument/ground instructor for a local flight academy.
His economic priority for the port is to get Whatcom County back to work.
“My top priority is attracting businesses which remain long term as port tenants, and which will produce great wages and benefits for our Whatcom County people,” Chapin said.
Another major priority is to reconnect with stakeholders, tenants and consumers in the community who feel like the port commission doesn’t care about their needs.
“The trust of the people has been lost and before we can move forward, this must be fixed,” Chapin said.
When it comes to climate change, Chapin said the port needs to follow all EPA regulations, state environmental regulations, and common sense in protecting our ecological resources. He added that port commissioners are not climate czars who can take sides in the ongoing political debate about climate change action.
Chapin’s campaign has raised $1,920, the lowest among the three candidates. Many of the contributions come from companies and people who have ties to Bellingham International Airport.
As an airline pilot and flight instructor, Chapin said the airport could be headed for growing pains as commercial transportation activity increases.
“Our airline gates and terminal were adequate, but soon we will need more room for parking, vendors, security, luggage, and for the jets to park,” Chapin said. “We have the safety issue with the control tower that must be addressed. We cannot supplant the condo hangar owners and the general aviation users. We need to work with the airport stakeholders and reopen the comprehensive plans to place our (general aviation) users in more useful, safe, and secured place on the airport.”
Chapin also said the airport is also reaching the point where the port needs to consider adding a port police department.
“We presently contract with off duty law enforcement officers, but we would have more safety and be less of a target for crime if we had our own Port of Bellingham police force, just like they have at Port of Seattle and hundreds of other airports around the country,” Chapin said.
Chapin also wants to pick up the pace of redeveloping the former Georgia-Pacific property. As a lifelong resident, Chapin said the past 20 years have unsuccessful.
“So far the process has resulted in some remaining relics of a paper mill, a dirt bike track that produces no jobs and no tax revenue to show for it, and one building with small leasable spaces. The property has to be turned into a high-density commercial urban village with living spaces, shops, restaurants, and yes, tourist amenities,” Chapin said.
As for the idea of expanding the commission from three to five, Chapin said more representation of the people is better. He noted that Whatcom County transformed its government from a three-person commission to a county council in 1978.
“The current form of just three (port) commissioners has made it easier for special interest to block enhancement of our county economy,” Chapin said.
More information about Chapin’s campaign can be found on Facebook.
Kelly Krieger
Krieger believes the Port of Bellingham needs a new vision for Whatcom’s economic future. As Whatcom’s main economic development agency, she said the focus of the port needs to be on the creation of living-wage jobs that will be sustained over the long-term.
“In a world that is changing so quickly, we can no longer afford to think short-term or business-as-usual,” said Krieger, who has worked for a large national firm as well as owned and operated two small businesses.
Krieger lists her top two economic priorities as being job growth in clean energy and providing meaningful jobs for graduates of Whatcom’s schools. She considers clean energy to be a great path forward, “providing jobs that recognize the dynamics of our changing global economy and help attract innovators in these fields.”
As for providing jobs for local graduates, Krieger noted Whatcom County is building an incredibly skilled workforce but not retaining it.
“We need to be making the most of our public education dollars and doing everything in our power to reap the benefits from these flows of skilled workers. We can’t do this without living-wage job creation right here in Whatcom County,” Krieger said.
One of the port’s biggest projects is the redevelopment of the former Georgia-Pacific waterfront property. Krieger said that project has “clearly been mismanaged” and changes need to be made.
“My vision for the continued development of this incredible waterfront asset is to make moves to hire a local developer and use local labor, guided by a local task force to create a waterfront that is accessible, functional, and employs clean energy and clean building standards,” Krieger said, noting that while valuable, the waterfront is also one of Whatcom’s most vulnerable assets as changing climate brings more intense storms, rising sea levels, and increased temperatures.
While the port is taking a step to address climate change with its clean energy initiatives for its own operations, Krieger said more needs to be done, including planning ahead to make port properties resilient to climate-related shocks.
“We need port commissioners who are committed to climate action across the board, not just the bare minimum of acknowledging that it exists and going after low-hanging fruit,” Krieger said.
In terms of fundraising, the Public Disclosure Commission website indicates her campaign has raised $15,337 as of July 22. Her biggest donor was the Washington State Democrats, contributing $1,990.
As for the issue of whether to have three or five port commissioners, Krieger is for expanding.
“In my experience, the best work products come from collaboration. Five commissioners would give us all the ability to work together to develop creative and place-based opinions and solutions,” Krieger said. “At this time, port commissioners work independently and are prohibited from communicating outside of official port meetings. Expanding the number of commissioners would provide the ability to form subcommittees, reach out to more community members, and create more representative and meaningful opinions.”
Krieger’s campaign website is kelly4port.com.
This story was originally published July 24, 2021 at 5:00 AM.
