Whatcom County

Navy veteran and current council chair Barry Buchanan has served one term on the Bellingham City Council and two on the Whatcom County Council. Buchanan has been a solid vote on the county council, especially in this difficult past year. He is the chair of the Whatcom County Incarceration Reduction and Prevention Taskforce and is seeking to provide alternatives to booking people for low-level crimes through the LEAD program established in 2019. He supports both the Whatcom Crisis Stabilization Center and East Whatcom Regional Resource Center, which serve those experiencing mental health crises and hunger. Buchanan has also worked in previous terms in office to ban fracking and protect the environment.

He is running against Bob Burr, Misty Flowers, and Kamal Bhachu. Burr has run for a number of positions in Whatcom, including Public Utility District, Bellingham City Council, and Whatcom County Council. Burr's campaign website is still focused on his run for the utility district, leaving no information on his current run. In his voter statement, Burr says that he will be a single-issue candidate on climate change and preventing mass extinction.

Kamal Bhachu works as a senior maintenance engineer at PeaceHealth St. Joseph Medical Center and as a firearms instructor. His platform states that he would address affordable housing, living-wage jobs, and pride in the community, but doesn't offer enough policy details to evaluate. Misty Flowers is a Bellingham musician who has no campaign platform available as of May 25, and her Twitter is filled with covid vaccine conspiracies.

Buchanan is the best choice in this race.

Rebecca Lewis has worked as an educator in the Sedro-Woolley district for over 20 years and is the president of the Sedro-Woolley Education Association (SWEA) union. Lewis' campaign priorities include supporting living wage jobs, updating public utilities, and protecting the environment. As a labor leader, she wants to expand community work agreements, apprenticeships, and prevailing wages. She also wants the county to invest in rural infrastructure with reliable broadband and cell service. Lewis states that further development on lakes should be ceased as a way to protect the watershed for 100,000 people in the county.

Her opponent, incumbent Tyler Byrd, is a board member of the Whatcom Business Alliance. Byrd is a conservative candidate prioritizing the needs of businesses above the local community. He was one of two council members to vote against the 0.1% sales tax to help fund affordable housing. On the environment, he voted against the moratorium on Cherry Point shipping unrefined fossil fuels, despite concerns about the cultural significance for the Lummi Nation and environmental threats. Finally, he voted against a $4 million coronavirus relief package last April.

Also in this race are Kathy Sabel and Fred Rinard. Sabel, a Bellingham resident, has no campaign website or detailed policy proposals available as of June 21. Her voters' guide statement indicates that her primary reason for running is addressing water rights. Like Sabel, Rinard of Everson does not have a campaign website or detailed information available as of June 21. His voters' guide statement says that his primary concerns include asbestos in Swift Creek.

Lewis is the best choice for Whatcom County Council in District 3.

Small business owner Kelly Krieger is running for Port of Bellingham, Commissioner District 2. Krieger is active with the Whatcom County Democrats and has a professional background in business and marketing. She also served on the board of directors for the Puget Consumers Cooperative. Krieger's campaign is focused on climate-friendly economic development, municipal broadband, affordable workforce housing, and aviation innovation.

Incumbent Commissioner Ken Bell is running to retain his seat with the port. Bell is a former Whatcom County Planning commissioner and Whatcom County Charter Review commissioner, and he also currently serves as the president of the Iron Creek Group, a private company that cleans up contaminated soil. Unfortunately, Bell is involved with the Whatcom Republicans and played a role in a police-led sweep of a homeless encampment on port property earlier this year.

The third candidate in this race is Austin Chapin, an airline pilot and flight instructor with a strong campaign focus on aviation investments and the airport. Chapin has run a negative campaign so far. He has criticized his opponents’ focus on environmental impact and climate protections, stating that the port should not be treated as a “preserve” despite the fact that Bellingham’s port is an important natural space that requires attention to the environmental impact of port projects.

We recommend Krieger for Port of Bellingham, Commissioner District 2 because of her reliably Democratic values.

Kristina Michele Martens is a real estate agent, local activist, and former radio host who is running to bring community needs, especially those of historically underserved communities, to the forefront of policy. If elected, she states that she would be the first Black person to serve on the Bellingham City Council.

In our interview with Martens, she emphasized the need for the city to improve outreach from city hall, whether it be to struggling local businesses or residents having a difficult time. One of her top priorities would be to address homelessness in the city through making strong investments in rapid re-housing and permanent shelter. She supports City Councilmember Hammill's proposed 0.1% sales tax for housing because it will save the city money by reducing unnecessary jail time and emergency responses. On police reform, Martens supports shifting police away from responding to jobs they aren't trained to do, like dealing with mental health crises and investing more in diversion programs.

Martens is one of the people working to found the Whatcom Racial Equity Commission, a joint effort between city and county to hold policy conversations and propose solutions to the challenges that Black, Indigenous, and other community members face. If elected, she is dedicated to continuing to hold conversations to build trust between residents and city hall.

Her opponents are Russ Whidbee and Tonia Boze. Financial advisor Whidbee has no campaign website as of June 22. He states that his approach to policy will be moderate, but does not have proposals available to voters. Similar to Whidbee, gym owner Tonia Boze was a late filer who does not have campaign policies available as of late June. Her official voter's guide statement says that the city should be welcoming and a place of opportunity.

Martens is the best choice in this race.