Here’s a look at the candidates running for the Port of Bellingham’s District 1 seat
The Port of Bellingham is making decisions that will impact Whatcom County’s economy and voters will have a choice on who will make those choices this November.
Two of the three port commission seats are up for election, with incumbent Michael Shepard facing challenger John Huntley in the District 1 race and incumbent Ken Bell facing challenger Kelly Krieger in District 2.
All Whatcom County voters can cast ballots for both districts in the general election. The winner of each race will serve a four-year term.
General election ballots will be mailed Oct. 13 and must be postmarked — not simply mailed — or placed in ballot drop boxes by 8 p.m. Nov. 2.
In the District 2 primary, Bell had 46% of the vote and Krieger had 37%. Austin Chapin was in third place with 17% and won’t be on the November ballot.
With just two candidates, there was no primary for the District 1 candidates. The Bellingham Herald asked all candidates questions by email. Along with those responses, information about Shepard and Huntley was gathered from their websites and the Washington State Public Disclosure Commission.
John Huntley
As the owner and CEO of Mills Electric, Huntley said he sees every day what family-wage jobs do for the economy of Whatcom County, so that would be a priority for him if elected port commissioner.
“The port drives the economic growth of any community and we have so many opportunities at our fingertips when it comes to growing in a sound and prosperous economy,” Huntley said in an email.
One of Huntley’s priorities is to do more with the former Georgia-Pacific property, which is currently being redeveloped as the Waterfront District. Huntley is interested in creating more import and export businesses opportunities to go along with the office/residential/retail mixed-use plans.
“I’ve looked at it for so long and nothing is happening to this land that has so much potential. I think I can help in the development of this property, with the background I would bring to the Port,” Huntley said.
As of Wednesday, Sept. 29, Huntley’s campaign had raised $27,824, according to Public Disclosure Commission records. Huntley’s biggest contributor to date is the AGC of Washington Builders PAC, which donated $2,000, as well as an equal donation from Kathy Jensen. While the position is non-partisan, he’s received $1,000 from the Whatcom County Republican Party.
Huntley also wants to bring family-wage jobs back into the Intalco Works aluminum smelter facility near Ferndale. Alcoa curtailed work there in the summer of 2020 that resulted in the loss of about 700 manufacturing jobs. He said he’d work to help Alcoa restart the smelter or encourage the company to sell or lease the property to a business that would bring in family-wage jobs.
When it comes to addressing climate change, Huntley said in his business he’s worked to build the infrastructure in the community that includes putting in wind and solar technology.
“I am of the mind that the natural progression of technology will be the best driver of clean sustainable energy,” Huntley said. “Most residents and business owners understand that to thrive, you must adapt. It’s common sense for us to use cleaner forms of energy because it saves money as well as protects the environment. As technology advances, we can have a major impact without destroying our economy in the process.”
As for other priorities, Huntley supports building a salmon hatchery along the waterfront, which he said would ensure Bellingham is an important hub for the commercial fishing industry. He also wants to create more boat moorage spots for increased boat traffic. Also on his list is affordable housing and a tourist attraction to take advantage of the unique area we live in.
When it comes to the question of how many port commissioners this area should have, Huntley said it is important to keep it at three.
“The port has the unique opportunity of efficiency, adding more commissioners will stifle that. The port is the leading economic driver in Whatcom County and is one of the only elected positions that remains truly nonpartisan,” Huntley said.
Huntley’s campaign website is huntleyforport.org.
Michael Shepard
Shepard, elected to the commission in 2017, is seeking his second term to continue the work of job creation and retention.
“I ran for office in 2017 because I know Whatcom County is a fantastic place to live, but for many, it has become a challenging place to afford,” said Shepard, who has lived in Whatcom County for 25 years and currently resides in Bellingham’s Fountain District. He’s also an instructor with Western Washington University’s anthropology department.
Shepard said he’s been fortunate to work on a wide range of projects as commissioner, including opening a countywide economic development office, covering the Fairhaven Cruise Terminal with Whatcom’s largest solar panel installation and building new web lockers for the commercial fishing fleet in Blaine.
As of Wednesday, Shepard’s campaign had raised $37,991, according to Public Disclosure Commission records. Shepard’s biggest contributor to date is the IAFF Local 106 Bellingham/Whatcom County firefighters association, which donated $2,000, as well as equal donations from Rochelle Nguyen and Alyson McGregor. While the position is non-partisan, he’s received $1,990 in-kind from Washington State Democrats.
He wants to continue working on the revitalization of Bellingham’s Waterfront District, develop the local green-tech economy and complete the installation of broadband internet infrastructure for all of Whatcom County.
When it comes to the Waterfront District, Shepard points out that four years ago the area still had fences up and the public couldn’t access it. Today it has parks, roads and walking trails in place as well as public amenities including the bike pump track, a farmers market and the growing container village.
“There is much more coming to this area. I believe it is essential that the development of the Waterfront District includes a diverse range of projects and amenities for everyone,” Shepard said, adding that they’ve had to reduce Harcourt’s capacity for development after a lack of progress on its residential waterfront housing project. The commission also approved the Millworks project, which is expected to bring a food campus, workforce housing and early learning classes to the area.
Noting that the port and its waterfront properties are extremely susceptible to climate change and rising sea levels, Shepard said the commission has been assessing those vulnerabilities while putting together a climate action plan. He also said in the past four years, through conservation and green energy purchasing, the port has reduced its carbon emissions 85%.
Other priorities for Shepard center around job creation opportunities, particularly marine trades jobs and green technology, such as the new Canadian electric transit bus manufacturer that is coming to Ferndale and is expected to add 120 new jobs.
As for the question of whether to expand the number of commissioners, Shepard is in favor of having five serving the port.
“Our county is growing quickly and an expanded commission provides an opportunity for a more diverse representation of people and employment sectors,” Shepard said, adding that numerous other ports, including in Anacortes, have five commissioners.
Shepard’s campaign website is shepard4port.com.
This story was originally published October 5, 2021 at 5:00 AM.
