City of Lynden

Democratic Party activist and human rights advocate Jon Scanlon is running for At-Large, Position B on the Whatcom County Council. This seat is open following the retirement of Carol Frazey. Previously, Scanlon worked at the U.S. State Department and with OxFam America doing humanitarian work. In addition, he has been a consistent volunteer and elected leader within the Whatcom County Democrats. 

Scanlon is running for office with a focus on affordability and environmental conservation. In particular, he would work to strengthen protections against flooding, ensure access to clean air and water, and preserve the county's farmlands and forests. His two decades of public policy and advocacy experience would also be a welcome addition to the council.

Scanlon faces Hannah Ordos on the ballot this November. Ordos is a customer support manager at Vitamin Porfolio LLC and is a member of the North Sound Behavioral Health Advisory Board. Her website focuses on bringing people together and offers few specific policy details. In 2021, she endorsed Republican Tyler Byrd for Whatcom County Council and this February she was part of a group of "vaccine skeptics" nominated for the Whatcom County Health Board. 

Scanlon has earned an impressive slate of progressive endorsements and is the best choice for Whatcom County Council, At-Large Position B. 

There are no progressive candidates in this race. Kathy Kershner is running for re-election to the Whatcom County Council representing District 4. Kershner is the former chair of the Whatcom County Republican Party, and has been a conservative voice on the council since she was elected in 2019.

Despite describing herself as a fiscal conservative, Kershner increased the county's spending on prisons and policing, voting to add 10 new deputies to the sheriff's office and supporting the construction of a new, larger county jail. She also voted to continue public funding for Lighthouse Mission Ministries after they were accused of hiring discrimination against LGBTQ people because they required employees to adhere to traditional Christian tenets of faith and "sex ethics."

While Kershner is clearly conservative, she has been willing to work with the progressive majority on the council. In particular, she voted in favor of putting Proposition 5, the Whatcom County Children's Initiative, on the ballot.

Her challenger, conservative Mark Stremler, works for the Whatcom County public works department's road crew. Like Kershner, Stremler opposes almost any improvement to the community that would raise taxes, but would support a property tax to build a new county jail.

Stremler is even more right-leaning than Kershner in many issue areas, and would be a step backwards for the council. He has criticized Kershner's support of the Healthy Children's Initiative, and would work to remove this fund that supports young children and their families. He also criticized Kershner for not being more publicly supportive of the Supreme Court's decision to overturn the right to abortion.

While we disagree strongly with many of Kershner's policy positions and values, her willingness to work with her colleagues makes her the better choice to represent this very conservative district.
 

J. Riley Sweeney is running for the District 5 seat on the Meridian School District board. Sweeney currently works as the city of Ferndale’s Communication/Recreation Coordinator and previously worked with nonprofits and small businesses. Additionally, he chairs the County Food System Committee and serves on the Irene Reither Elementary PTA board.

If elected, Sweeney wants to prevent partisan influence on public curriculums and instead focus on accuracy, fact, and science so that Meridian students are best prepared for their futures. Another priority for him is to make sweeping investments in the district to support educators with higher salaries, help continued recovery from the pandemic, and uplift enrichment programs and the arts.

Sweeney's opponent is Michelle Simmons, who works for a restoration franchise business. She is a first-time candidate involved in a number of community groups, including the Meridian Boosters, the Meridian Strategic Planning Committee, and a PTA, where she serves as a chair. Simmons’ does not have a campaign website as of early October and the limited campaign information that's available does not include any specific policy solutions. In an article in Cascadia Daily, she complained about restrooms and locker rooms that include the needs of gender diverse students and decried education that speaks to students about race.

As a parent with strong progressive values who has kids enrolled in the district, Riley Sweeney is the clear choice for Director, District 5 on the Meridian School District board.