Whatcom County

Progressive Todd Donovan is currently serving in the District 1 seat and is now running for District 2. Donovan wants to clean up Lake Whatcom and restore native vegetation. He is a solid environmental leader who supports public transit and access to parks while opposing the coal export terminal at Cherry Point.

Donovan is facing progressive Amy Glasser and conservative Daniel Collick. As a mental health professional, Glasser resists the structure of the current jail as a means to house people with mental illnesses and people struggling with substance abuse, while Donovan supports building a smaller alternative to the new jail.

We believe Donovan is the best choice in this race because of his track record in office and support from progressive organizations.

Rebecca Boonstra is running in the newly established District 3. She is the Executive Director of the Mt. Baker Chamber of Commerce, and was elected to the Board of Commissioners of the Columbia Valley Parks and Recreation District. Boonstra also worked in the visitor center in Maple Falls for a decade and wants to increase access to the natural areas while protecting the natural environment. She wants to give a voice to those who are often shut out of council decisions and county government.

Boonstra is running against two conservative candidates, Tyler Byrd and Clifford Langley. While both candidates have raised more money than Boonstra, they don't share her commitment to protecting the environment for future generations. Boonstra is the progressive choice in this race.

Elected in 2014, Roxanne Murphy of the Nooksack Tribe was the first Native American to join the Bellingham City Council. She has spent her first term focusing on issues of equity and the environment. Murphy has proposed a requirement for paid sick leave for Bellingham businesses, opposed the Cherry Point coal terminal, and led the resolution for supporting the Sioux tribes fighting the Dakota Access Pipeline. Murphy is the Youth Director for the Nooksack and serves on the Whatcom Transportation Authority.

Murphy is running against Jean Layton, who is also a progressive but has yet to gather many endorsements, and Eric Bostrom, a Trump-supporting conservative. Murphy's experience and track record on the council make her the best choice in this race.