Whatcom County

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.
 

Jackie Dexter is a moderate Democrat running for Whatcom County Council in District 5. She works as an aquaculturist with Drayton Harbor Oyster Farms and lives on her family farm where she raises chickens and cattle. She serves on the Whatcom County Marine Resource Committee and is active with the Blaine Elementary PTO.

Dexter is committed to finding ways to balance the needs of the maritime, agriculture, and refinery industries, which all provide many good jobs in Whatcom County. As the mother of two children in public schools, she wants to expand access to childcare and improve early childhood development opportunities for all families. 

Dexter is challenging Republican Ben Elenbaas in District 5. Outside of the council, he works in the agricultural industry. Last year, Elenbaas ran as a Republican for state Senate and lost in the primary, earning only 19 percent of the vote. Even though working Washingtonians are struggling to pay bills and afford health care, Elenbaas prioritizes industry and corporations, especially oil interests in the region. Elenbaas is also poor at collaborating with his colleagues and often sticks to GOP talking points instead of working together to find solutions that work for everyone.

Dexter has earned impressive endorsements in this race because she understands the community's needs and will work together with her colleagues to get things done. Jackie Dexter is the clear choice for Whatcom County Council from District 5.
 

Progressive campaign organizer Jace Cotton is running for the at-large seat on the Bellingham City Council. This seat is open after Councilmember Kristina Michele Martens decided to run for mayor. 

Cotton was a campaign manager with the Whatcom County Democrats for the last two years, playing a key role in winning all seven priority races. He is now the Campaign Director of Community First Whatcom, which has placed two initiatives on this year's November ballot. One initiative would raise the minimum wage by $2 and the other would increase protections for renters. Previously, he graduated from Western Washington University and worked as a paraeducator in local public schools. 

Cotton is running to advance economic justice in Bellingham. He wants to support low-wage workers and seniors who are struggling with the rapidly increasing cost of living. 

Cotton's opponent is financial advisor Russ Whidbee, who is running for city council once again on a more moderate platform. Previously, he served on the board of the Bellingham Technical College Foundation and worked with the Kulshan Community Land Trust.

Whidbee's campaign is focused on housing affordability, public safety, and homelessness. He states that his focus would be on seeking out grants and public and private partnerships with banks and developers to increase affordable housing. However, he seems unwilling to support the kind of zoning changes needed to bring more housing options and density to our community. He also says he wants to "reimagine" public safety for Bellingham and acknowledges systemic racism in law enforcement. However, his specific policy proposals - like body cameras and de-escalation training - should represent the bare minimum and have largely been implemented already.

Cotton has earned a very impressive slate of endorsements for a first-time candidate and is running a strong campaign. We recommend Jace Cotton for Bellingham City Council, At-Large.  

Longtime community activist and organizer Liz Darrow is now running for Bellingham City Council from Ward 3. Darrow works as a freelance video editor and has been the Technical Director of the Cascadia International Women's Film Festival for the last six years. She was a founding member of the city’s Immigration Advisory Board, worked as a legislative advocate for Community to Community Development, and is the elected co-chair for the Lettered Streets Neighborhood Association. In particular, she has advocated for the rights of farmworkers and immigrants, both in Whatcom County and in Olympia, including helping pass legislation in 2021 that made agricultural workers eligible for overtime pay.

Darrow is running for council to bring more responsive, action-oriented leadership to the city council. During our interview, she expressed her frustration with the council's lack of accessibility for most residents. She believes city leaders should be more present in the community to hear residents' concerns and better communicate about the council's work.

Darrow helped write an ambitious proposal called "The Big Lift" that includes ideas about how the city could improve homelessness services and expand tiny home shelter villages. She wants Bellingham and Whatcom County to be more aggressive in pursuing state funding and private partnerships to build some of the 50,000 units of housing she believes they need to build. On climate, Darrow would push the city to adopt a climate resiliency plan and eliminate all transit fares. However, she criticized the mayor's proposed climate action fund for being too focused on electric cars, which are financially out of reach for many residents.

Darrow is a good choice for Ward 3 if you're looking for a progressive organizer on the council who will be very active and visible in the community. 

Lisa Anderson, a program manager at Whatcom Community College, is running unopposed to continue representing Ward 5 on the Bellingham City Council. She is running to build more affordable housing, protect our clean air and water, and fund alternative support teams and support services to reduce incarceration.

Anderson has been a champion for the environment in Bellingham, voting to ban single-use plastics, preserve lands for wildlife and watershed protection, and increase infrastructure for electric vehicles and bicycles. She wants to increase sustainable, green energy jobs if re-elected.

A proud union member, Anderson has also supported hazard pay for grocery workers, apprenticeship programs for city workers, and grants for local businesses. Although we think she could have been a stronger voice in favor of the council raising the minimum wage, she has overall championed the interests of working people.

One of Anderson's top priorities is housing. She supported payment assistance during the pandemic, created new affordable housing that replaced an unsafe motel, and passed a tax to fund tiny homes with case managers that assist residents into permanent housing. She wants to create more zoning that includes homes that working people can afford, although she is concerned about how ADUs will impact historic neighborhoods.

Anderson has also stated her desire to reduce incarceration in favor of increasing support systems for addiction and mental health. However, we are disappointed that she voted in favor of making public drug use a misdemeanor punishable by jail time or a $1,000 fine. In the future, we hope that she will stand by her belief that we can't arrest our way out of residents' struggles with addiction.

Anderson is running unopposed, and has the support of a number of our progressive partners. She is the best choice in this race.

We believe Greg Hansen has earned your vote for re-election as mayor of Ferndale based on endorsements from our partners and trusted community leaders. He is a faculty member at Whatcom Community College and previously worked for nearly 20 years in the hospitality industry, 

Hansen is proud of his track record of completing the sewer treatment plant, making progress on the Thornton Street Overpass, and laying the groundwork for the Metalworks Skate Park. He faces a challenge from conservative city council member and former mayor Jon Mutchler, who would represent a step backward for Ferndale. 

While we have not been able to conduct our standard independent research on this race, we encourage you to visit Hansen's website, social media, or voters’ pamphlet statement to learn more.
 

We believe Wyatt Shedd Stewart is the best choice for Ferndale City Council, Position 4, based on his endorsements from our progressive partner organizations and trusted community leaders. He's running to fight for more affordable housing and ensure Ferndale remains a great place to live and raise a family during this period of rapid growth. He's also focused on keeping our community safe for all residents. 

He's running against McKenna Pinto-Gonzalez, who is running on an explicitly conservative platform. She demonizes people experiencing homelessness and parrots Republican talking points about crime, rather than offering real solutions to the nuanced challenges in our community. She is supported by many far-right leaders in Whatcom County and she would be a step backward for the Ferndale City Council. 

While we have not been able to conduct our standard independent research on this race, we encourage you to visit their website, social media, or voters’ pamphlet statement to learn more. Vote for Wyatt Shedd Stewart for Ferndale City Council, Position 4. 
 

Moderate Dr. Kevin Erickson is running for re-election to the Ferndale School board. He has served on the board since 2010 and is the current board president. In addition, Erickson has worked at the Kulshan Veterinary Hospital for 33 years.

Erickson faces a challenge from conservative Beth Perry. Perry is running for school board after homeschooling her kids from their first day of school, in part because of her strong religious beliefs. Perry had a joint kickoff with Antonio Machado and Nancy Button, who are closely aligned with Moms for Liberty.

While we have not been able to conduct our standard independent research on this race, we are confident Dr. Kevin Erickson is the best choice based on his track record in office and endorsements from our partners and trusted community leaders. We encourage you to visit his website, social media, or voters’ pamphlet statement to learn more.

Brent Bode is running for Ferndale School Board in District 2. He currently serves as a Senior Assistant Director of Admissions at Western Washington University. He has also served on the City of Ferndale Planning Commission and with the WWU Professional Staff Organization.

After several tumultuous years during the pandemic for the school board, Bode is running to rebuild relationships between board members and improve communications with the public. He is also focused on ensuring local schools have adequate funding to hire and retain talented staff and to give students a well-rounded education. He also wants to expand mental health resources for students, particularly as we emerge from the pandemic.

Bode is running against Anthony Machado, who works for the Western States Petroleum Association. Machado has three kids in the Ferndale School District but does not have Bode's experience serving the community.

While we have not been able to conduct our standard independent research on this race, we are confident Brent Bode is the best choice in this race based on endorsements from our partners and trusted community leaders. We encourage you to visit his website, social media, or voters’ pamphlet statement to learn more.

Toni Jefferson is running to retain her seat on the Ferndale School Board from District 3 to which she was appointed in February. She is a member of the Lummi Nation and worked as the general manager of the Lummi Island Business Council. 

Jefferson is running to bring her experience in financial management, conflict resolution, and working with diverse stakeholders to the Ferndale School Board. She supports the "You Belong" campaign because she knows that students must feel safe at school in order to learn and grow. 

Jefferson is running against conservative former teacher Nancy Button. She has aligned herself with far-right groups like Moms for Liberty that want to politicize our schools. Button is a "regular [commenter] at Ferndale School District meetings," harshly criticizing school leaders for following public health guidelines and offering comprehensive sex education. When she sought an appointment to fill a vacancy on the Ferndale School Board this year, one of the current board members claimed that she had received "15, 16 emails from people that have had experience with [Button]... saying she is not fit for our district" and accusing her of being homophobic and racist. Button failed to receive the appointment. 

Button is following a common playbook this year of far-right political activists trying to take control of school boards to impose their agenda on all families. Ferndale teachers, students, and families deserve better. Toni Jefferson is the clear choice for Ferndale School Board from District 3. 
 

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.