INSIDE
Election season about to begin

by Meg Olson

While most races that matter to local voters will be quiet during the fall election season, even the primary will be hard fought for one seat on the water board and another on the Port of Bellingham’s board of commissioners.

Water and sewer district commissioner Art Wilkowski, appointed to his position earlier this year, will have to beat challengers Tom Hollett and David Niles if he wants to keep his seat.

“I feel given my background running a public service company I have experience that is useful,” said Wilkowski, the most outspoken of the current water commissioners when it comes to taking a position on sewer development. “I don’t care either way,” he said when asked if he supported a general sewer system for the whole Point, a smaller one for the central core, or no centralized system at all, the three options outlined in the district’s new sewer comprehensive plan. “All I want is for there to be a carefully thought out process and it would be good for the community to settle the issue.”

Tom Hollett, however, has a definite position. “I am against a mass system the whole Point would have to subsidize,” he said. ‘I am for small systems for those who need it.”Hollett added that his 40 years spent as an accountant or corporate controller would bring needed financial management experience to the board.

David Niles is chairman of the Point Roberts Economic Development Committee’s infrastructure task group that has been pursuing funding for sewer planning and secured the grant that helped the district pay for the comprehensive plan update. “I believe change is inevitable,” he said, emphasizing that decisions about sewers must rest with property owners but that the district board has a responsibility to “take an active lead in this process” by giving property owners information to help them make that decision.

Water district chairman Madeleine Anderson is running unopposed.

There are four challengers looking to unseat port commissioner Ginny Benton. Benton is looking for a third four-year term as a port commissioner. “I’ve got what I consider unfinished business,” Benton said, pointing specifically to supporting economic development assistance programs in unincorporated areas and providing strong representation on task forces working to ease border congestion.

“The way they’re doing business is less than desirable,” said Ron Wilson when asked why he is challenging Ginny Benton for her seat on the port commission. “I bring a lot of leadership and I have a high standard of ethics.”

Travis Holland said he wants to try and reverse what he sees as a trend with the current commissioners of voting to protect their personal business interests over the public interest. Holland, a prominent Bellingham restaurant entrepreneur and Bellingham planning commissioner said he will “create family wage jobs, eliminate conflicts of interest and make sure the port represents the community’s interests,” if elected.

Jack Grant doesn’t have a specific complaint but thinks he could do a better job. “I think I have the background and the education to do the job,” Grant said. Grant has a business degree in urban land economics and has spent 20 years practicing law and “doing essentially what the port’s doing,” he said.

Jim Jorgensen, a former Blaine schoolteacher and salmon charter skipper, said he wants to bring a more personal approach to the job of port commissioner. “I would like to see the port become much more visible as far as what happens to the tax dollars. What do they do?” he said. Jorgensen said that in addition to stimulating the economy in outlying areas the port also needed to put some focus on environmental and safety issues in the ports they operate.

There are two candidates for the vacant parks board position ­ Linda Hughes and Doug Ritchie. “I have enjoyed the facility this parks board has been providing for the last dozen years and when I saw a spot was available I knew someone had to lend a hand,” Hughes said, adding her greatest asset to the parks board would be her enthusiasm.

Doug Ritchie said he will bring to the parks board experience working with a spectrum of private and public groups to make things happen. “The board has the potential to expand and enhance its activities for all the members of the community,” he said.

Irene Waters and Bev Griffiths are running unopposed to keep their positions. “I don’t have a clue,” Waters said when asked why she is running again for what will be her umpteenth term on the parks board. “There are a couple of projects I still want to finish ­ a museum, a skatepark.” Bev Griffiths, another longtime parks commissioner is also running unopposed. “I don’t know how to say no I guess,” she said. “We’re doing good work and helping the community.”

Point Roberts resident Deb Hart is running unopposed for a seat on the Blaine school district, destined to become the first Point Roberts representative on that board since Irene Waters held the position in the mid-1970s. “I wanted to represent the parents of Point Roberts,” said Hart, who has two teenagers at Blaine schools. “I’d like to get involved in the politics of Point Roberts and the school district seemed like a good place to start.”

Fire commissioners Jesse Lofquist and Bill Meursing are both running unopposed. “I’d like to be the watchdog of the community’s money,” Meursing said, adding he felt the fire district, like other forms of government, leaned towards overspending.

In county races county executive Pete Kremen, county council member Barbara Brenner, auditor Shirley Forslof, assessor Keith Wilnauer, sheriff Bill Elfo and treasurer Barbara Cory are all running unopposed.

Tune in next month for an analysis of the November ballot items.

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