These are now the leaders in Bellingham, Whatcom County election after Wednesday’s count
Kristina Michele Martens took the lead from Russ Whidbee for the Bellingham City Council at-large seat after ballot returns late Wednesday, Nov. 3, where a victory would make her the council’s first Black woman.
The second round of ballot returns didn’t change other top races in Whatcom County.
Councilman Barry Buchanan held his lead over Kamal Bhachu for the Whatcom County Council at-large seat in a race that could have shifted the countywide balance of power on the non-partisan council.
If Buchanan’s lead holds, the council will retain its current 4-3 mostly liberal majority.
But Buchanan told The Bellingham Herald that he wasn’t claiming victory until Thursday’s ballot count is released.
“(My lead) is pretty insurmountable, but I’m still going to wait,” he said.
Andrew Reding, head of the Whatcom Democrats, said he was pleased with the results.
“None of our county-level or Bellingham Democratic incumbents were defeated. Instead, they all won by wide margins, generally exceeding previous margins of victory,” Reding told The Herald.
John Ramsey, head of the Whatcom Republicans, also saw cause for optimism, because Republican-backed incumbents also were winning their races, and that GOP-backed candidates did well in city council and school board elections excluding Bellingham.
“We’re pretty pleased with the down-ballot — school boards, etc.,” Ramsey told The Herald.
An updated ballot count was scheduled for around 5 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 4, with an estimated 11,600 ballots remaining, according to the Whatcom County Auditor’s Office.
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Whatcom County Council
▪ Kaylee Galloway was leading Eddie Ury by 56% to 42% for the District 1 seat being vacated by two-term Councilman Rud Browne. District 1 covers the southern half of Bellingham.
▪ Donovan was leading write-in candidate Nancy Hill by 78% to 9% for the District 2 seat. District 2 covers the north part of Bellingham. Kelley O’Connor withdrew from the race too late to have her name taken off the ballot but she received 13% of the vote.
▪ Councilman Tyler Byrd was leading Rebecca Lewis by 53% to 46% for the 3rd District seat covering rural Whatcom County mostly northeast, east and south of Bellingham.
Lewis told The Herald that she was waiting for Wednesday’s ballot count to be released because she and Byrd were only about 600 votes apart on Tuesday. Byrd’s lead widened to about 800 votes on the second day of counting.
Byrd wasn’t immediately available to comment.
▪ Buchanan was leading Bhachu by 54% to 46% for the countywide at-large position A seat.
Bellingham City Council
▪ Councilman Michael Lilliquist was leading Eve Smason-Marcus by 66% to 33% for the Ward 6 seat.
▪ Kristina Michele Martens took a 400-vote lead over Russ Whidbee and was leading by 51% to 49%, reversing Whidbee’s first-day edge for the two-year council at-large seat. Whidbee was leading by 500 votes in Tuesday’s returns.
And Bellingham will have two Black members on its City Council for the first time, because Skip Williams was unopposed for the Ward 4 seat.
Voters citywide could vote in all Bellingham council races.
Bellingham initiatives
Measures brought forward by a coalition of local groups called People First Bellingham were seeking renter protections, limits on police technology, neutrality on labor issues from city contractors and hazard pay and other rights for hourly wage workers.
▪ Initiative 1 for renter protections picked up two points, but was still failing by 53% to 47%.
▪ Initiative 2 for limits on police technology was leading by 54% to 46%.
▪ Initiative 3 for neutrality on labor issues from city contractors was leading by 61% to 39%.
▪ Initiative 4 for hazard pay and other rights for hourly wage workers was failing by 61% to 39%.
Port of Bellingham
▪ Port Commissioner Michael Sheppard was leading John Huntley for the District 1 seat by 55% to 44%.
▪ Port Commissioner Ken Bell was leading Kelly Krieger for the District 2 seat by 55% to 44%.
Bellingham schools
Bellingham Public Schools Director Jenn Mason held 75% to 25% lead over challenger Philip Stockton.
Mason, a former educator and trauma counselor, owns Wink Wink, a “woman-owned all ages not creepy sex shop” in downtown Bellingham. She was backed by Democrats and raised $8,055 for her re-election bid, according to the state Public Disclosure Commission.
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 raised $6,136 for his election bid.
Election day voting
Low early turnout appeared to carry over into the race’s final hours.
Whatcom County had 156,982 registered voters through 5 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 3, but only 46,340 ballots had been returned and accepted by then, a rate of 48%, according to the state Secretary of State’s Office.
Wednesday was the biggest ballot-return day of the state’s three-week election cycle, with 16,932 total ballots returned on that date in Whatcom County, according to the Secretary of State’s Office.
About 71% of Whatcom County voters age 65 and older had returned their ballots, against 22% of voters age 18-24.
Statewide, voter turnout was running at 38%.
Whatcom County turnout in the Aug. 3 primary was 34%, but it was 88% for the 2020 general election.
