This is what Bellingham council at-large candidates say about homelessness and policing
The two top candidates from the primary election are running for the two-year term of the at-large Bellingham City Council seat being vacated by Councilwoman Hollie Huthman.
Huthman is unchallenged for the council’s four-year Ward 2 seat being vacated by Councilman Gene Knutson, who served for nearly three decades.
All registered voters who live in the city of Bellingham can vote for the non-partisan at-large candidates.
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.
Kristina Michele Martens, real estate agent and racial-justice activist, was a prominent voice for social change in the summer of 2020 and is working with the Chuckanut Health Foundation to outline the scope and responsibilities of a new Whatcom County Racial Equity Commission being considered by the Whatcom County Council.
Martens was among the organizers of the June 6, 2020, rally at Maritime Heritage Park that drew an estimated 5,000 people or more.
“I want to be a voice for the unheard and use my experience to bring a change to City Hall,” Martens told The Bellingham Herald in response to a questionnaire.
“Our police departments have absorbed much of the funds that were once for alternative, community-building outreach and have spent that money on militarized equipment and vehicles, while not expanding their training on being able to effectively address the majority of calls they face,” Martens said. “I believe that for a modern police force to be effective we need to diversify the types of staffing they should require. I would like to see a re-allocation of funds to increase the amount of alternative staff who would specialize in mental health and domestic violence calls. I would like to see us divert from using armed officers on traffic stops and think about training unarmed public works officials to pull over drivers for traffic infractions.”
To address homelessness, Martens thinks the city should use proven solutions.
“For example, I am an advocate for the city to boost support for ‘rapid re-housing’ programs, like those run by Northwest Youth Services and Lydia Place. The idea of rapid re-housing is to help households quickly exit homelessness and return to permanent housing in the private rental market. Rapid re-housing programs provide move-in costs along with a short-term tapering rental subsidy for members of our community who need a little help getting back on their feet. It works, it’s a quick path to housing stability, and I want to see more of it in Bellingham,” Martens said.
She also advocates for “an easy access shelter. The Lighthouse Mission works well for some folks who experience homelessness, but it simply does not work for everyone.”
Homelessness goes hand in hand with the Puget Sound region’s housing crisis, and more housing must be built, Martens said.
“Zoning laws were created decades ago in a very different economy,” she said. ”We need to update them to allow for more housing types in all of our neighborhoods, not just a few. The ‘urban villages’ idea pioneered by the city government over the last decade is helping, but it’s not enough on its own. The city’s Infill Toolkit is also a solid step in the right direction and I look forward to expanding its use. I commit to being a city council member who embraces big, bold ideas rooted in data and evidence. We need to build on our successes.”
Martens raised $61,434 through Oct. 21, mostly from individual contributions, according to the Public Disclosure Commission.
She also has donations of $1,000 or more from political-action committees including the Nooksack Indian Tribe, the Lummi Indian Business Council and the Washington Education Association
She’s endorsed by the Whatcom Democrats, the Riveters Collective, Planned Parenthood, the Washington Education Association, Lummi Nation, Nooksack Indian Tribe, the Sierra Club several union locals and other organizations.
She’s also supported by several state and local elected officials, including County Council members Carol Frazey, Barry Buchanan and Todd Donovan, Democratic state Reps. Sharon Shewmake, Alicia Rule, Debra Lekanov and Alex Ramel, and state Attorney General Bob Ferguson.
.jpeg "Russ Whidbee, Bellingham at large (1_fitted (1).jpeg")
Russ Whidbee, is a financial adviser, also teaches accounting at Bellingham Technical College and Whatcom Community College.
It’s that background that will make him an effective City Council member, Whidbee said in response to a Herald questionnaire.
“Having expertise in fiscal matters and developing budgets enables me to ensure the council is a fully informed partner as it works with the administration to develop biennial budgets that effectively address the needs of the community while working within the limits of our city government’s fiscal reality,” he said. “Finally, as a Black man in Bellingham, I have critical insights regarding how we might effectively address a range of issues that are on many of our minds. Issues regarding how to become a more equitable and just community as we come to terms with our national, state and even our local history of unjust dealings with people of color and those our marginalized society.”
Whidbee said he decided to seek office because of issues surrounding the racial and social justice movement that began after the 2020 murder of George Floyd, and by the homelessness protests of 2020-2021.
“I believe we have a great opportunity to serve the community, and our Police Department, holistically for the safety of all,” Whidbee said. “I want to re-imagine policing. The goal our officers want to achieve is to protect and serve our Bellingham community. Police are public servants and should feel called to this occupation. Supporting our officers in achieving their goal means providing the extra resources they need such as mental health counselors and drug addiction prevention specialists” to respond in partnership with police.
Whidbee suggests that the city should increase its community-policing efforts such as Neighborhood Watch programs partnered with officers on bicycles and foot patrols.
He would continue the use of body-worn cameras for officers and continue to address racial profiling and bias.
“The development of a community accountability/advisory board ensures that when questions arise around policing policies, or regarding particular incidents, that investigations are done in a manner that reveals the facts and holds responsible parties accountable,” Whidbee said.
He said homelessness “is a sensitive and complex national crisis that I do not take lightly or feel can easily be resolved. The work done in our community is admirable and deserves acknowledgment.”
Whidbee said he would “stay the course” with tiny home villages; expand the city’s partnerships with organizations such as Lighthouse Mission Ministries, Lydia Place and the Opportunity Council; and work with the Bellingham-Whatcom Housing Authority as well as federal and state agencies and legislators to develop more immediate housing options.
Further, he said he would seek public-private partnerships to expand affordable housing, “not only for our homeless, but also for those for whom housing is becoming more difficult,” which he said means workforce housing.
“We have to strive to make housing more affordable for the community,” he said. “Our senior community also needs attention in this area.”
He’s raised $36,070, mostly from individual donors, according to the PDC. He has donations of $1,000 from the Bellingham-Whatcom Firefighters Local 106 of the International Association of Fire Fighters, Local 1937 Guild of Pacific Northwest Employees, and the Whatcom County Affordable Housing Council.
Whidbee is endorsed by Northwest Washington Central Labor Council, LiUNA! Local 292, Whatcom Environmental Voters, 42nd Legislative District Democrats, Teamsters Joint Council 28 and Local 231, Guild of Pacific Northwest Employees, Local 1937, Bellingham/Whatcom Firefighters Local 106, Commercial Fisherman’s Association of Whatcom County.
He’s also supported by several state and local elected officials, including Democratic state Reps. Sharon Shewmake and Alicia Rule; Whatcom County Councilman Todd Donovan; Bellingham City Council members Lisa Anderson and Gene Knutson; Port of Bellingham Commissioners Michael Shepard, Bobby Briscoe and Ken Bell; and former Bellingham mayors Kelli Linville, Dan Pike and Mark Asmundson.
