What’s at stake in Whatcom election Tuesday? Parties see a possible ideological shift
With only a few days left before the vote-by-mail general election, Whatcom County’s turnout rate was at less than 20%, according to statistics from the state Secretary of State’s Office.
Ballots are due by 8 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 2, in off-year races for Whatcom County Council, city councils, the Port of Bellingham and school boards, as well as funding requests for some fire-protection districts and local initiatives.
That means ballots must be postmarked — not simply mailed — or placed in an official ballot dropbox by that time.
Voters can register and cast ballots until 8 p.m. Tuesday in person at the Whatcom County Courthouse, 311 Grand Ave.
Pandemic measures are in place, including masking and social distancing.
Ballots that are received in the mail Wednesday and afterward will only be accepted if they were postmarked in time.
Whatcom County had 156,934 registered voters through 5 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 28, but only 27,202 of those ballots had been returned by then, a turnout rate of 17.33%.
Turnout in the Aug. 3 primary was 34%, it was 88% for the 2020 general election.
“What’s at stake in all the elections is, ‘What is the ability of the people who are running to understand the issues and to work hard?’ ” said Whatcom County Councilman Rud Browne.
Browne is not seeking re-election after serving two four-year terms as the District 1 representative.
“Eight years has taught me that this is a very complex job if you want to do it properly,” he told The Bellingham Herald.
What’s at stake
Andrew Reding, executive board chairman of the Whatcom Democrats, sees a possible political shift in the Port of Bellingham and County Council races.
“For the Whatcom Democrats, the key issues are the County Council and the Port (of Bellingham) races because they are countywide and there are key ideological issues,” Reding told The Herald.
“Every race is important. It’s always a crucial election,” said John Ramsey, chairman of the Whatcom Republicans.
“The party worked really hard to have candidates in all the local elections this year,” he told The Herald. “I also believe that we’re living in the time of some seismic shifts. I’d encourage everyone to get out and vote in spite of the fact that there are huge divisions.”
But former state Rep. Luanne Van Werven told The Herald that she thinks the top countywide issues transcend traditional party divisions.
“I don’t really see this particular election as right vs. left,” said Van Werven, who is also a former leader of the Whatcom Republicans.
“That narrative is breaking down this election. Republicans, Democrats, independents care about the same things,” she said.
Van Werven said she sees the key issues as transparency in county government, the rising cost of living, and closer parental supervision of school curriculums.
COVID a top issue
Key issues Tuesday are the fate of four ballot initiatives in Bellingham, a possible political shift on the Whatcom County Council and the Port of Bellingham, and issues regarding sex education and equity, diversity and inclusion in school board races, according to observers from both sides of the political aisle in Whatcom County.
“The biggest hot-button issue that we’re dealing with at the moment is masking and vaccination and policy related to COVID-19,” Browne told The Herald.
Four positions are open on the seven-member County Council, a non-partisan governing body.
One at-large seat is open this year, along with council Districts 1, 2 and 3.
All county residents can vote for the at-large position, but only residents of individual districts can vote for those candidates.
Three of the four open council seats are held by people on the political left.
Current makeup of the council results in a 4-3 split favoring liberals over conservatives on some controversial issues because liberals hold the two at-large seats and the two districts that encompass Bellingham. Conservatives hold the three districts that cover the most rural parts of the county.
Whatcom County’s approach to fighting the new coronavirus pandemic is “the biggest issue that will change,” Browne told The Herald.
“If the council shifts to being conservative-dominated, I think you’ll see a fairly significant shift in our response to the pandemic,” he said.
Partisan council split
Even though the County Council is a non-partisan legislative body, political affiliation often comes into play — especially at election time.
Political parties endorse candidates, and candidates sometimes campaign under a party identity or embrace partisan issues:
▪ Political newcomers Kallee Galloway and Eddie Ury are vying for the open District 1 seat encompassing the south end of Bellingham. Both candidates are endorsed by traditionally left-leaning organizations.
▪ In District 2, Councilman Todd Donovan is endorsed by the Whatcom Democrats and his write-in opponent Nancy Hill is endorsed by the Whatcom Republicans. Hill is on leave from her job at St. Joseph hospital because she isn’t vaccinated against COVID-19, and she is campaigning with an organization that resists statewide measures such as masking and vaccine mandates to limit the pandemic.
▪ In District 3, Byrd is endorsed by the Whatcom Republicans and challenger Rebecca Lewis is backed by Democratic causes, which have invested heavily in her campaign. District 3, the Foothill District, includes Sudden Valley, Lake Samish, rural areas from northeast of Bellingham to south of Lynden, and the vast area of rural eastern Whatcom County — including Nugents Corner, Deming, Sumas, Kendall, Welcome, Maple Falls, Glacier and the South Fork Valley communities of Acme and Van Zandt.
“District 3, that’s an important one for us,” Reding said.
”(Byrd) is an incumbent, which is typically easier to defend, but they’re putting a lot behind Lewis,” Ramsey said.
▪ For the at-large County Council seat, Councilman Barry Buchanan is being supported by the Whatcom Democrats and challenger Kamal Bachu is endorsed by the Whatcom Republicans. Bachu is on leave from his job at St. Joseph hospital because he isn’t vaccinated against COVID-19, and he is campaigning with an organization that resists statewide measures such as masking and vaccine mandates to limit the pandemic.
“The thing that stands out for us is that (Bachu) is speaking out against COVID public-safety measures,” Reding said. “This is a very serious issue. We all want to get past this emergency and we won’t do it until vaccination rates get high enough.”
Port of Bellingham
For the two open Port races, Republicans are backing incumbent Commissioner Ken Bell and challenger John Huntley, who is seeking to oust Commissioner Michel Shepard.
“It’s all about creating jobs and we’d love to have more family-wage jobs in the county,” Ramsey said.
For Reding, the key issue in the Port race is affordable public internet access.
Democrats are endorsing the incumbent Shepard and Kelly Kreiger, who is challenging Bell.
“We’d like to see the Port move in co-operation with (Whatcom County Public Utility District 1) and public internet,” he said.
School boards
School board elections have a reputation for being mundane, but the race between Bellingham School Board Director Jenn Mason and challenger Philip Stockton is drawing large donations, according to the state Public Disclosure Commission.
Mason, a former educator and trauma counselor, owns Wink Wink, a “woman-owned all ages not creepy sex shop” in downtown Bellingham. She has the support of Whatcom Democrats and has raised $8,055 for her re-election bid.
Earlier this year, Mason faced antisemitic harassment and criticism from a national right-wing organization when she defended Bellingham Schools’ commitment to teaching equity, diversity and inclusion and its policy of following state guidelines for age-appropriate sex education. A parent complained that a picture book in their child’s class featured a transgender character, and the school and Mason expressed support for the teacher — who also was harassed.
Stockton is a graduate of Liberty University, a conservative Christian school founded by the Rev. Jerry Falwell. He has worked for Republican Party causes and is endorsed by the Whatcom Republicans. He’s raised $5,785 for his election bid.
In contrast, both candidates in the other open Bellingham school board seat have reported no fundraising.
“Parents want more of a say in their child’s education,” VanWerven said.
Bellingham council, initiatives
Voter initiatives advanced by a coalition of local groups called People First Bellingham are seeking renter protections, limits on police technology, neutrality on labor issues from city contractors and hazard pay and other rights for hourly wage workers, volunteer Sage Jones told The Herald.
All four initiatives are supported by the Whatcom Democrats and opposed by the Whatcom Republicans.
The Bellingham City Council voted to oppose all four measures, saying they are well-intentioned but won’t survive a court challenge.
Initiative 4 — which assures hazard pay and other worker rights — has proven the most divisive.
It is also opposed by the Bellingham Regional Chamber of Commerce, the nonprofit business organization Sustainable Connections, and nonprofits such as the Whatcom Family YMCA and the Boys & Girls Clubs of Whatcom County.
Some $210,070 was raised to fight Initiative 4 — mostly from business and trade groups — and $74,842 was raised in support of all four measures, including $50,000 from Seattle’s Group Health Foundation.
Meanwhile, the Bellingham council will have its first two Black members after November.
Skip Williams is unopposed for City Council Ward 4, and both at-large candidates Kristina Michele Martens and Russ Whidbee are Black.
“”We’re very excited that we’re going to see the Black people elected in Whatcom County,” Reding told The Herald. “We might even have the first Black woman. All of that is very exciting from a diversity and inclusion standpoint. We like the idea of fresh viewpoints on the council.”
Still marking your ballot?
Here are other Herald stories with more detail about the candidates and initiatives in Bellingham and Whatcom County.
