Eddy Ury’s demonstrated commitment to our community through getting out there and doing the work on the ground over a long period of time is a quality that uniquely positions him as the best candidate for Whatcom County Council, District 1. The relationships he has built during a decade of working directly with impacted community members and many local organizations are distinctive to him in this race and are part of what makes him an exceptional candidate. A history of exhibiting humility and working to develop cultural competencies are further traits that will serve him well. Leadership in Whatcom County on climate, sustainable energy, houselessness, justice and more tell us that Eddy lives his values. Eddy will also work to grow access to affordable childcare, living wage jobs, and create affordable housing in our community. Eddy not only shares many of the same ethics and goals expressed in Riveters Collective’s platform, he has demonstrated that he thinks about transformative solutions that push beyond simply reforming existing systems, to reimagining them, capturing the spirit of change in our platform.

Todd Donovan has been a consistent advocate for progressive causes in his time in the Whatcom County Council, District 2 seat and we strongly support returning him to that role. He has and will continue to prioritize affordable housing and the economy, combating climate change, alternatives to incarceration, and a more diversified and nimble emergency response system, and clean water in our rivers, lakes, and bays. In the past year, he has advocated against settlement in advance of adjudication, for racism to be affirmed as a public health crisis, and to keep the Homeless Strategies Workgroup from being disbanded. He has challenged his benchmates consistently on a variety of issues, and his willingness to advocate for progressive ideas creates the necessary friction for debate, change, and growth.

Rebecca Lewis is the progressive voice that Whatcom County Council District 3 needs to ensure the eastern part of the county isn’t left behind. She is a union leader, educator, organizer, and mother of a special needs child, who is empowered to advocate to help our community. She will work hard to protect and grow living wage jobs, support green energy, create affordable housing, and work to end houselessness. Investing in rural infrastructure like broadband and cell service are important to Rebecca. She prioritizes clean water and will work with the Lummi Nation and Nooksack Tribe to support salmon recovery. As a working mother, she has experienced firsthand the challenges women face in the workforce. She knows the impossible decisions families have to make because of the lack of accessible, affordable childcare in Whatcom County, because she has had to make these choices. Her lived experiences have laid the foundation for her to be a strong advocate for closing the women’s wealth gap and making the necessary systemic changes that will create the conditions for economic mobility and prosperity.

Barry Buchanan is a great asset to the Whatcom County Council in the At-Large, Position A seat. He has led on advocating to address youth mental health and reduce youth incarceration in Whatcom County and beyond. Additionally, Barry was central to the formation of the new Whatcom Crisis Stabilization Center, the expansion of the existing East Whatcom Regional Resource Center, and chairs the Incarceration Prevention and Reduction Steering Committee. He has led on impactful solutions to begin to address affordable housing, including co-sponsoring an ordinance that directs $2 million per year toward affordable housing. He has been a part of the advocacy and development process for the Whatcom Racial Equity Commission.

Michael Shepard has been a valuable progressive voice as the Port of Bellingham District 1 Commissioner for the last four years. It is vital that he is returned to that seat so he can continue furthering progressive values. He has worked to bring back living wage jobs to our Port and throughout Whatcom County. Affordable housing is a priority for him, and he has led efforts to create permanently affordable homes in north Bellingham and at the Waterfront District. Michael helped the Port adopt 100% Green Energy, install the largest municipal solar power project in Whatcom Council, and bring a new EV transit bus manufacturer to Ferndale. Michael is leading on bringing broadband Internet to all the rural communities of Whatcom County. He has also worked to forge positive working relationships with the Lummi Nation and Nooksack Tribe and hopes to work with them on returning to past levels of salmon abundance.

Kelly Krieger is a strong candidate who will create a progressive tipping point as Port of Bellingham’s District 2 Commissioner. She is knowledgeable on the issues that face our community, and has the skills to lead on clean and sustainable economic development. She sees the responsibility and necessity of making meaningful change to our ports of entry to address the climate impact of these spaces, and envisions a future of living wage clean energy jobs. With climate refugees already adopting our County as home, change is inevitable, and Kelly will push for responsible change. Recognizing that accessible internet is critical to economic development and education, she will work diligently to bring affordable broadband to everyone in our county, so that no one is left behind. Kelly is particularly passionate about exploring the possibilities of modernizing our airport, and pushing for ways to adopt innovations in hybrid air travel.

Hollie Huthman will continue to do great work in alignment with Riveters Collective’s values when elected to the City of Bellingham Ward 2 seat. In her current role in the At-Large seat on the council, Hollie has shown great enthusiasm for learning about the issues impacting our city, as well as how our city’s government operates. In 2020, Hollie was the first council member in Whatcom County to support forming a Racial Equity Commission and has actively amplified and backed the work of those founding this group. Hollie has also been a powerful advocate in local and statewide efforts to get funding for shuttered music venues during the pandemic. We are looking forward to more great work from Hollie in the coming years. 

Eve Smason-Marcus is the exact type of fresh, progressive leader we want to uplift as an ideal candidate for City of Bellingham Ward 6. Eve gets things done. They believe in housing justice, accountability, racial justice and environmental justice. They have been a stalwart supporter of grassroots organizing and organizations rooted in the community for years. They have consistently shown themselves to be an ally to many of Bellingham’s marginalized communities and they have stood strong for the values we share. Eve will bring a new, collaborative, and action oriented voice to the council. They are a board member of both the Whatcom Human Rights Task Force and Bellingham Unity Committee, which often has them leading behind the scenes at events that amplify the voices of communities who deserve more of Bellingham’s focus. They have built community with our houseless neighbors, while advocating for emergency winter shelter and holding public forums and panels on housing and houselessness. Eve represents a welcome new voice and perspective for the Bellingham City Council and we are very supportive of their campaign. 

Kristina Michele Martens is an exciting and transformative candidate who will be a tremendous community asset in the Bellingham City Council At-Large seat. Kristina has demonstrated repeatedly that she can boldly speak truth to power and still sit down with local elected leaders to create a better future for our community. She believes in an equitable economic recovery, housing for all, responses to homelessness that are proven to work, and racial equity. She will continue to work tirelessly to make Whatcom County a space where BIPOC feel a sense of belonging and can live without fear of violence. She not only co-founded the now thriving Whatcom Racial Equity Commission, but, with her team, gained political and financial backing necessary to make an effective, strong, and influential partnership between local government and community members. Our county elected officials frequently cite her Racial Equity Commission when making decisions and when referencing work they are proud to support. Through extensive grassroots efforts and meetings with elected officials, Kristina and her team also spearheaded a successful effort that resulted in the Whatcom County Council passing a resolution affirming Racism as a Health Crisis. Kristina has consistently shown through her words and actions that she is committed to furthering our shared values. Kristina has clearly become a well respected community activist and organizer and has proven herself to be an effective and visionary community leader who has earned our robust support. 

Jenn Mason embodies Riveters Collective’s values as the current Bellingham School Board President in the Position 4 seat. We strongly believe she should be elected for another term. In this term she has been a relentless advocate for equity for all students. She was instrumental in creating a race and equity policy for Bellingham Public Schools. She also believes strongly in supporting students with individualized education programs (IEPs), who aren’t always getting the services they need due to underfunding. In her professional life, Jenn has worked extensively as an educator and trauma counselor in Bellingham Public Schools, with our local LGBTQIA+ community, both as a former counselor with DVSAS, and in her current role as the small business owner of WinkWink. 

Kate Bishop brings a great deal to the City of Ferndale’s Position 6 council seat and should have the opportunity to serve another term. She has been deeply involved in the Ferndale community, both as a city councilmember and as a volunteer. As a city councilmember, Kate has spearheaded their Equity Advisory Committee and the North Whatcom Poverty Task Force to protect Ferndale’s most vulnerable residents and take action for justice. Kate is a passionate advocate for affordable housing and is leading the charge to ensure Ferndale remains a community for all, not just all who can afford it. Kate believes that as a government official, it is important to go out into the community to meet constituents where they are in order to learn their needs.

Maralise Fegan has done a great deal of good in the City of Ferndale’s Council Position 7 seat, and it is essential that she be elected for another term. She will use her analytic skills and experience to continue work on smart planning for growth and making evidence-based decisions for a future Ferndale can take pride in. She has been an active community advocate in Ferndale, working with such groups as Whatcom Community Emergency Response Team and the Ferndale School Bond Task Force. As a city council member, she has considered issues thoughtfully, asked necessary questions, and is willing to engage with challenging issues such as water rights. Maralise has clear ideas of what community improvement in Ferndale can look like and how to get there.

Lee Anne Riddle will continue to do great work on the Ferndale School Board in Position 4. She has advocated for equity throughout her sixteen years on the Ferndale School Board, and is currently involved in a collaborative process of creating an equity policy for the district. She will continue to be an asset and should be elected for another term. In her professional life as a SNAP educator, she has learned to look beyond a mandated curriculum to who her students actually are and what they need, experience she has brought with her to the school board. Lee Anne believes that students need to have their emotional and mental health needs met before focusing on academics, and it is very clear that she cares about Ferndale’s students.

People First Bellingham collected over 36,000 signatures to run a slate of initiatives in the November election that would help Bellingham’s working families and help take Bellingham in an overall more progressive direction. All four initiatives are modeled after what has worked in other cities such as Portland, Maine, Santa Cruz, California, and Seattle. These initiatives include renter protections, banning advanced policing technologies such as facial recognition, protecting the right to organize, and fair treatment of hourly and gig workers. You can learn more about these initiatives on their website.

These initiatives will appear on ballots in Bellingham as Initiatives 2021-01, 2021-02, 2021-03, and 2021-04.

This proposition would lower the number of signatures required for the general public to propose amendments to the Bellingham City Charter, from 15% of the voters in the last gubernatorial election to 15% of the voters in the last mayoral election. This would cut the number of signatures required roughly in half, since the turnout in mayoral elections — which occur in odd-number years — tends to be lower than that for gubernatorial elections. We endorse passing Prop. 2021-16 in order to give our community a more reasonable opportunity to propose amendments to the document that shapes the role of the different branches of Bellingham’s city government.

This proposition would lower the number of signatures required to get initiatives in Bellingham onto ballots from 20% of voters in the last mayoral election to 8% of voters in the last mayoral election, which would be in line with the current requirement for statewide initiatives (8% of voters in the last gubernatorial election). Initiatives increase participation in our democracy by allowing grassroots organizations to propose legislation to be approved by their fellow voters, but it is very difficult right now for initiatives to make it onto the ballot in Bellingham. We endorse passing Prop. 2021-17 in order to give regular people a greater chance at creating change in our community.

This proposition would lower the number of signatures required to get countywide initiatives onto ballots from 8% of voters in the last gubernatorial election to 8% of voters in the last county executive election. Initiatives increase participation in our democracy by allowing grassroots organizations to propose legislation to be approved by their fellow voters. We endorse passing Prop. 2021-13 in order to give regular people a greater chance at creating change in our community.