Here’s who is supporting Buchanan and Bhachu in Whatcom County Council at-large election
Two people are challenging Councilman Barry Buchanan for one of the County Council’s two at-large positions. Buchanan, who is serving as council chairman, was elected to the council in 2013 and re-elected in 2017.
Buchanan and Kamal Bachu were the top two finishers among four candidates in the Aug. 3 primary.
All registered Whatcom County voters can cast a ballot for the at-large position, which carries a four-year term.
Ballots were mailed Wednesday, Oct. 13, and must be postmarked — not simply mailed — or placed in ballot drop boxes by 8 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 2.
Bhachu, who lives in Blaine, told The Bellingham Herald that he works in maintenance at St. Joseph hospital, but has been on unpaid leave since August.
In an email, he said he didn’t get vaccinated right away, but didn’t answer if he’s on leave from the hospital because he wouldn’t get vaccinated.
Meanwhile, Bachu has been campaigning with organizations that protest the statewide vaccine mandates for teachers, firefighters, healthcare workers and others.
Bhachu, who immigrated from India, attended Bellingham Technical College, earning degrees in both automotive technology and construction technology. He also was a nursing assistant with Whatcom County Hospice.
“We won’t all share the same ideas, but we can come together with mutual respect for the sake of our community and all within it,” he told The Herald in an email.
He’s raised $54,389 for his campaign through Oct. 21, mostly from individual contributions. He also has $3,900 from business interests including the Whatcom County Affordable Housing Council and Phillips 66.
Bhachu is endorsed by the Whatcom Republicans, Mayor Scott Korthuis of Lynden and Mayor Kyle Christiansen of Sumas, along with businesses such as Z Recyclers, John Huntley of Mills Electric and the Associated General Contractors of Washington Build PAC.
Buchanan, who lives in Bellingham, served seven years in the U.S. Navy, working on aircraft electronics and later became an engineer at Lockheed Martin, where his project included the space shuttle and the Hubble Space Telescope.
He also served one term on the Bellingham City Council, and currently is serving as the County Council chairman.
“As a County Council member, I have helped guide the Whatcom County community through the past seven years, including the COVID-19 pandemic,” Buchanan replied to a Herald questionnaire. “I have championed labor rights, affordable housing, and criminal justice reform in my time on the council. We’re at a time when our working-class families and workers need a steady, experienced hand to recover from the economic collapse of COVID-19.”
Buchanan co-sponsored an ordinance passed this year to spend 0.1% of the county’s share of local sales tax, about $2 million annually, on affordable housing countywide.
“While I wish we had better tools than adding a new layer to our already regressive tax system, this new program will make a real difference in the lives of Whatcom’s low-income residents and I’m proud to be standing up for them. We need more housing in Whatcom, period,” Buchanan said.
He emphasized his record on climate and environmental issues, “including helping to carefully regulate the refineries at Cherry Point and create a Climate Impact Advisory Council. It’s important we legislate every issue cognizant of its impacts on climate change and the environment, and that’s what I have done. I will continue to do this by emphasizing green infrastructure when creating jobs, sustainable policies when building affordable housing, and combating the effects of climate racism when addressing systemic racism and the criminal justice system,” he said.
Buchanan has raised more than $46,944 for his campaign through Oct. 21, mostly in smaller and individual contributions, according to the state Public Disclosure Commission.
But he’s also received nearly $2,000 from the Washington State Democrats and $1,000 from the Nooksack Indian Tribe, $2,000 from the Teamsters Legislative League and $1,000 from the Washington Education Association PAC and IBEW Local 191 COPE (electrical workers).
He’s endorsed by the Whatcom Democrats, 40th and 42nd District Democrats, Young Democrats of WWU, state Rep. Sharon Shewmake, Bellingham/Whatcom Firefighters IAFF Local 106 and several other unions, the Sierra Club, Washington Conservation Voters, Lummi Nation, Nooksack Indian Tribe, and Pro-Choice Washington, among others.
