Sidhu takes lead for county executive in primary

Preliminary August 1 primary election results give insight into what is to come for the November 2023 general election, including the Whatcom County executive race, where incumbent Satpal Sidhu and Dan Purdy are the top two finishers so far.

The two candidates who receive the most votes in the August primary will move onto the November 7 election. The following results are updated as of 5 p.m. August 2:

Six candidates vied for the county executive seat in the primary. Sidhu, who is finishing his first four-year term as executive, led the race with 34.9 percent. Dan Purdy, a first-time candidate with business leadership experience, followed in second with 27.7 percent of the votes. State representative Alicia Rule received 17.6 percent, county council chair Barry Buchanan received 13.9 percent, Misty Flowers received 3.2 percent and Sukhwant Gill received 2.5 percent of votes.

The Blaine school board race shows Ben Lazarus, former owner of Westwind Marine in Point Roberts, in the lead at 43.7 percent. Dean Berkeley, a former North Whatcom Fire and Rescue commissioner, was in second at 33.1 percent. Tana Perkins Reneau, who was charged with nearly a dozen counts of child abuse in June, received 22.7 percent, or 1,086 votes.

As for the Whatcom County Council at large, Position B, Jon Scanlon, who has 20 years of public policy and diplomacy experience, has the lead at 37.4 percent. Hannah Ordos, a customer support manager, placed second with 30.9 percent. Atul Deshmane received 22.8 percent and Jerry Burns received 8.7 percent of the votes.

Another race up for election is Whatcom County Council District 4, which represents the area of east Blaine, north Whatcom County east of I-5 and the greater Lynden area. Mark Stremler, a first-time candidate and Whatcom County public works employee, was leading incumbent Kathy Kershner, 46.1 percent to 43.5 percent. Katherine Orlowski received 10.2 percent of votes. So far, 35.3 percent of Whatcom County voters participated in the August 1 primary, according to the Whatcom County Auditor’s Office.

Just over 56,451 ballots were tabulated on election night, and the auditor’s office estimated another 192 were left to count, not including those ballots that had yet to arrive at the elections office. The next vote is scheduled 5 p.m. August 7. Ballots will be certified Tuesday, August 15.

Voters will be faced with more races in the November election that were not included in the primary because they only had two candidates. Contested positions up for election will cover Blaine school board, Whatcom County Sheriff and Whatcom County Council District 5, which represents Point Roberts and the Blaine and Birch Bay area. For updated Whatcom County election results, visit whatcomcounty.us/1574/elections.