Ciudad de Bremerton

Jennifer Chamberlin is technically running unopposed for Bremerton City Council, District 1. Her opponent, Tony Stephens announced to the Kitsap Sun in mid-September that he was dropping out of the race, and encouraged voters to choose Chamberlin.

Chamberlin works for the Bremerton School District, and has served five years so far as a City of Bremerton Arts Commissioner, and is a proud member of the Bremerton Professional Education Association. While more detailed policy stances don't appear to be available, Chamberlain says she aims to help those in crisis rise up with dignity, supports reproductive health for all, and wants to create a safer and more inclusive city for those who have been disenfranchised.

Stephens is the former president of the Kitsap County Republican Party. His name will remain on the ballot because he dropped out after the deadline. Were he to win, the council would need to fill the position by appointment. We recommend Chamberlin for Bremerton City Council, District 1.

Melissa Watkinson is a social scientist who has taught at U.W. Bothell in several roles. She is a citizen of the Chickasaw Nation and a descendent of the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma, and she has worked with Indigenous Sisters Resistance and Seattle's Environmental Justice Committee.

At the core of Watkinson's platform is a commitment to equity and a sustainable vision for the area. As a council member, she wants to encourage mixed-income housing, provide more accessible transportation, support small business programs, and incentivize the protection of the local ecosystems.

She is running against Jeff Coughlin, a director working remotely on the NASA Kepler Mission and a Bremerton planning commissioner. Coughlin's campaign has three main priorities - improving input and communication from voters, reinvesting the revenue from increased growth into city services, and supporting local businesses.

Watkinson offers the most thoughtful and progressive platform in this race. We recommend Watkinson for Bremerton City Council in District 3.

Incumbent Michael Goodnow is serving in his first term on the Bremerton City Council. He is a Navy veteran who has been deeply involved in volunteering through community organizations such as Habitat for Humanity Kitsap County, Kitsap Humane Society, Kitsap Pride Network, and the Downtown Bremerton Association.

Goodnow voted for - and is the vice chair of - the Race Equity Advisory Committee, and has supported body cameras for more oversight and transparency in law enforcement. He also joined his fellow council members in a unanimous vote to relax accessory dwelling unit (ADU) restrictions, which will help increase the city's housing stock. If re-elected, Goodnow wants to continue to expand affordable and low-income housing in the city, fill vacant buildings with small businesses and increase road and pedestrian accessibility.

His opponent Matthew Adams is a veteran and a self-proclaimed "regular guy." Adams' Twitter page is filled with personal attacks against Goodnow, seemingly motivated by Goodnow's anti-racist principles. Adams has few policy proposals available. He states that he wants to see more parking enforcement and no additional utility taxes.

Goodnow is by far the better choice in this race and has earned a second term for Bremerton City Council in District 5.

Anna Mockler is a former professor and wetland scientist who is running for Bremerton City Council, Position 6 to support sustainability.

If elected, Mockler will focus on securing grants that help low-income families secure their first home. She also wants to see more bike lanes, safe sidewalks, and the promotion of green manufacturing jobs. Unique to Mockler's campaign is her focus on housing quality. As a former insulation contractor whose family works in construction, she wants to enforce a warranty of habitability to ensure that residents have structurally safe housing. She supports union labor and believes that the city should prioritize union contracts to promote living wages and fair working conditions.

Her opponent, incumbent Mike Simpson, is one of the more conservative members of the council. In February 2021, because Simpson had been working in Japan on a work assignment for over a month, the city council voted to remove Simpson from the District 6 seat because he had spent more than 30 continuous days outside of the city. They immediately voted to appoint him, but the result is that Simpson must now run for the seat though the original term of his position would have expired in 2023. While on the council, Simpson voted against loosening accessory dwelling unit laws, which could help alleviate the affordable housing crunch. He also pushed back on the need for a race equity committee, which was established after the national conversation on racial justice to better address the concerns of Bremerton residents. Simpson is endorsed by the local county Republicans.

Mockler is widely endorsed by progressive state legislators and local Democratic organizations and is the better choice in this race.

Incumbent and Navy veteran Greg Wheeler is currently serving his first term as mayor. He previously served for eight years on the city council and is also on the boards of Kitsap Public Health, Kitsap Economic Development Alliance, Kitsap Transit, and others.

During the height of the pandemic, Wheeler and the city council worked to keep residents safe and curtail the worst of COVID-19's economic effects by investing in technology for remote schooling and offering rental and utility bill assistance. Another recent benchmark success is the soon-to-be-open Pendleton Place apartment complex, which will help permanently house and provide services for people struggling with addiction and mental health issues. If re-elected, Wheeler states that he is dedicated to funding the Bremerton Rental Assistance Program, continuing the weatherization program, stabilizing rent costs, and increasing the city's housing stock.

Wheeler's opponent is William "Bill" Broughton, who served as the Bremerton city attorney from 1982 to 1987. He is also the former president of the Kitsap Building Association and is pushing for more development in the city. He states that if elected he will triple the transportation funding for downtown transit options, fix road crossings, and increase biking and walking infrastructure. Broughton also wants to see more dense, multi-use buildings utilized downtown, as well as a loosening of residential building regulations.

Wheeler's broad support by a number of local Democratic groups and progressive elected officials as well as his efforts to keep Bremerton livable and healthy for all makes him the better option for mayor of Bremerton.