Priority 1:

Cost of Living— Ensuring that everyone has a fair shot

The people of Whatcom County just want an opportunity to live, work, and make a life that they cherish. That's why abundant housing, food access, and affordable high-quality childcare top my list of concerns.

• A couple years back, frustrated by the lack of progress on homelessness, I founded the Homeless Strategies Workgroup. Now, everyone is at one table and has to look each other in the eye, so we finally started making headway. The more permanent Housing Advisory Committee and its Sheltering Subcommittee has now taken the baton and continues to advance the work of ensuring our response to homelessness across our community is both compassionate and strategic.

• I co-sponsored an ordinance passed in March of 2021 to direct $2 million per year, equal to 0.1% of our local sales tax, to affordable housing spread across Whatcom County. While I wish we had better tools than relying on our regressive tax system, this new program will make a real difference in the lives of Whatcom’s low-income residents and I’m proud to be standing up for them.

• Expansion of the East Whatcom Regional Resource Center – I led the process to allocate funding through the County Council for an expansion of critical food bank facilities in Maple Falls. This Center fights hunger by directly feeding those in need. 

Priority 2:

Functional Government— Demanding the best from our institutions

The people of Whatcom County deserve governmental systems that are lean and capable of meeting their mandate. Such only happens when competent leaders show up every day and take accountability.

• As Chair of the County Council, I led budgeting efforts that resulted in successful mitigation of the worst financial impacts of the pandemic on the County’s finances and set us on the course for recovery.

• As Chair of the Whatcom County Incarceration Reduction and Prevention Taskforce Steering Committee, I have helped lead our County toward a fairer, more effective, and more streamlined criminal justice system.

• Reduced Emergency Room visits by creating the Whatcom Crisis Stabilization Center (opened in 2021) as an alternative to jail for those suffering mental health crises, and other diversion programs. 

• I’m working to bring a co-responder model to Whatcom that will mean we have well-trained, non-uniformed public safety officers who can respond to 911 calls about mental and behavioral health and substance abuse issues. We’re building off of the popular and effective CAHOOTS model piloted in places like Eugene, Oregon. After years of steadfast advocacy for a program that builds off the popular and effective CAHOOTS model piloted in places like Eugene, Oregon, [something about getting the win of getting it started and Barry making sure it meets the needs of every corner of Whatcom to address issues.

• I fought for the creation of a Whatcom Racial Equity Commission which ensures historically marginalized communities are present and participating when our government makes decisions that effect them. I’m proud to be following the lead of the hardworking racial equity advocates in our community who did the work to create this Commission.

• I have repeatedly championed the need for underrepresented community members in Whatcom have a seat at the table in the rooms where the policy decisions that impact their lives are made. Working alongside community members, I fought for the creation of the Whatcom Racial Equity Commission, the Child and Family Wellbeing Task Force, and for people with lived experience of the carceral system engaging in the Justice Project Oversight and Planning Committee. 

Priority 3:

Delivering on Promises—Seeing profound solutions through to the end

The people of Whatcom County are counting on leaders to finish what they start. In every example listed above, we address our biggest challenges together, not by running from the hard issues but by convening problem-solvers to develop root-cause solutions that work for everyone. I've done this repeatedly throughout my career, and this moment calls for vigilance from experienced leaders to see these things through to completion. I firmly believe there is no problem we face that local government can’t make a difference for the people we serve. Not only that, it’s our job to make that difference. I believe we owe that to the people of Whatcom County.

• I have repeatedly worked across the aisle with fellow Councilmembers, Tribal Leaders, and partners across the state and nation on resolutions demanding accountability and action when it comes to addressing the opioid crisis, transparency in County contracts and finance, sheltering the unhoused, and ensuring we have sustainable food systems supporting farms that are feeding Whatcom County families.

• Finally brokered a compromise in 2021 to preserve jobs at Cherry Point for the long-term and protect our environment.

• I’ve helped pass and defend policies that protect Lake Whatcom and the Lake Whatcom watershed many times over the years, keeping our drinking water clean and safe.

• Funded programs to protect working farmland and support sustainable agriculture in all corners of our county.

• Prioritize public access for recreation on our public lands.

If you trust me with another term of servant-leadership, I will spend it keeping promises, ensuring each of these profound solutions— The Justice Project, The Healthy Children's Fund, Old Town Revitalization, The Homeless Prevention Plan, and more—come to fruition in the way that serves the people of this beloved community.