Election: Whatcom County voters to decide on Port race, commission size

Whatcom County voters will have the opportunity to bring significant change or maintain the status quo at the Port of Bellingham in the upcoming November 4 general election.

With both a commissioner race and a commissioner expansion initiative on the ballot, here’s what voters need to know before casting a vote.

District 2 Commissioner Race

There are currently three non-partisan Port of Bellingham commissioner positions, each representing a different district in Whatcom County.

Those commissioners are Michael Shepard, Ken Bell and Bobby Briscoe. Commissioners serve four-year terms.

Michael Shepard is running unopposed for re-election to represent District 1. Bobby Briscoe is not yet up for re-election and will maintain his position as the District 3 Commissioner.

District 2 Commissioner Ken Bell is running for re-election against challenger and first-time candidate Carly James.

Ken Bell

Ken Bell is running for a third term after first being elected to the commission in 2016. Bell has more than 36 years of experience in the waste, recycling and cleanup industries. He has also owned and operated numerous fixed facility recycling facilities throughout the U.S. and Canada.

Bell is the president of waste management company Best Recycling and CEO of the Iron Creek Group, a company with patented technologies used for cleaning up contaminated soils. He has worked with major ports throughout the world and has experience working on contaminated property redevelopment projects like those that exist at the Port of Bellingham.

In response to a question from The Bellingham Herald for a previous story about the primary issue facing the port right now, Bell said now is the time for the port to complete ongoing projects, including the downtown waterfront housing development and the shipping terminal cleanup.

“We are finally free from the litigation at the downtown waterfront, and that frees us up to begin the work to complete that development,” Bell told The Herald.

Bell called the port’s waterfront property “the best development opportunity on the West Coast, if not the entire U.S.”

Carly James

Carly James has been a small business owner in Whatcom County for more than 20 years. She owns Bison Bookbinding & Letterpress, a small business with two locations in downtown Bellingham. She also owns Gold Ink, an accounting services and consulting firm, and Yacht Dogs, a Chicago-style hot dog stand located at the Granary Building. She holds a B.S. in accounting from Western Washington University.

Although the Commission position is nonpartisan, James is endorsed by the 42nd Legislative District Democrats, Washington State Sen. Sharon Shewmake, D-Bellingham, and Washington State Rep. Alex Ramel, D-Bellingham, according to her campaign website.

As a business owner operating along the waterfront, James previously told The Herald she has “learned firsthand about the challenges there.”

“Over the past two decades many of us have watched the slow progress of waterfront redevelopment and believe the port can do more to be an economic engine for all of Whatcom County,” James said.

James told The Herald she believes in a “bold, community-driven vision for Whatcom County” that balances economy, environment and opportunity.

Port Commission Expansion Initiative

Whatcom County voters will also get the chance to redetermine the number of Port of Bellingham commissioners.

The commission voted 2-1 at a meeting in July to approve placing a commissioner increase proposition on the ballot. Commissioner Bobby Briscoe voted against the resolution.

If approved, Proposition 2025-04 would increase the number of Port commissioners from three to five and would result in the creation of five newly drawn Port commissioner districts. The two new commissioners would be elected in the November 2026 general election.

Since the port was established in 1920, it has been governed by a board of three commissioners.

Commissioner Bell initially proposed a meeting last fall to facilitate an open discussion and support informed decision-making about the possible increase.

More than a dozen Whatcom County community members expressed opinions for and against the possible increase at a public hearing in December. Those in favor of expansion argued the change would bring greater community-wide representation and improved decision-making for port operations. Those opposed said the move could complicate bureaucracy.

The estimated annual recurring cost to the port of adding two commissioners is just under $126,000 for both positions, with increased equipment costs every four to five years of about $7,000.

The port estimates a potential election cost of several hundred thousand dollars. There will also be a one-time cost of redistricting.

This is not the first time the discussion of increasing the number of port commissioners has been considered in Whatcom County. The board adopted a resolution moving a ballot proposition forward for expansion in 2012. But the proposition failed on the November ballot that year.

This story was originally published October 16, 2025 at 5:00 AM.

Rachel Showalter

The Bellingham Herald

360-715-2212

Rachel Showalter graduated Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo in 2019 with a degree in journalism. She spent nearly four years working in radio, TV and broadcast on the West Coast of California before joining The Bellingham Herald in August 2022. She lives in Bellingham.