Bellingham Ballot Measures

The Bellingham City Council has proposed a charter amendment concerning the term of the City Council Member at Large position. If approved, Section 2.02 of the Charter would be amended to change the term of the position from 2 years to 4 years and provide that the term of the Mayor and Council Member at Large would be staggered for each municipal general election.

Support the Charter Amendment

On November 4, Bellingham voters will decide whether the Bellingham Charter should be changed to make the At-Large Council position a four-year term. Because the issues facing the council have become more and more complex and time-consuming in the time since the charter was written 35 years ago, most of the current council, as well as a wide array of citizens, are proponents of this amendment.

Because the At-Large Council member is required to campaign for office every two years, much of his or her time can be spent in campaigning and fundraising — a distraction from the work of the council and an expensive election cost for the citizenry and the candidate (the average spent by council candidates in 2007 exceeded $17,000).

In addition, it often takes a new City Council member a year or more to become familiar with the issues and work of the council. In a two-year election cycle, campaign season arrives just as one is getting up to speed. Many feel that it would be better to have council members working on issues before them rather than constantly campaigning. Further, this is in keeping with the fact that, of 232 elected offices throughout the jurisdictions in Whatcom County, this is the only two-year position.

The intent of the Charter in including an At-Large position is laudable. Though each council member is charged with considering the larger, citywide view, the At-Large Council person has a special responsibility to look beyond ward boundaries in weighing the matters before the council.

The position is extremely important and was wisely created. The intent was also to have the council elections rotated to maintain a balance of newly elected and incumbent council members. Changing the term of the At-Large Council member to four years and electing that position in the off-year from the Mayor would maintain a balance of four elected officials every two years. If adopted, this change would begin in the 2009 election.

We urge you to support this Charter Amendment. It will help create more efficient and effective city government.

Statement prepared by:

Chuck Robinson and Grant Deger. Chuck Robinson is the owner of Village Books and Grant Deger represented the 4th Ward on the City Council from 2002 through 2005.

Bellingham voters should vote NO on this amendment to our City Charter because the amendment takes away voters’ rights and is contrary to our Charter’s intent.

Bellingham’s freeholders, who originally drafted our Charter, intended for voters to have the right to elect a majority of Council members every other year. Our Charter is designed so that three Council members with four-year terms, and the At-Large member with a two-year term, are up for election every other year. This way, if voters disagree with the direction of a majority of Council members, our Charter allows for the possibility of changing a majority of Council every two years by electing four new Council members.

The proposed Charter amendment would take away this important voter right by doubling the term of the At-Large position, requiring four years (instead of two) before citizens could vote to replace a majority of Council.

Doubling the term of the At-Large position would undermine our Charter’s intent and make our City Council less responsive to the people. This is as important today as it was in 1972.

The proponents’ focus on costs is misdirected and obscures the real issues. The real cost issue here is that it will cost the City up to $30,000 in unbudgeted general fund money to put this Charter amendment on the November ballot, at the same time we’re facing painful budget cuts and the City had to cut our kids’ spray park hours during the hot months to save $4,400.

Under our current Charter, election cost to the City for the two-year At-Large term is very small. For example, in November 2007 the City would have saved only $3,500 if the At-Large position had not been on the ballot. Voters’ rights are worth these minor election costs.

Also, no one can say with certainty that doubling the At-Large term would reduce the costs of campaigning. In fact, in 2007 the campaign costs for one of the four-year Council seats were twice as much as the costs for the two-year At-Large position. Further, campaign contributions are personal financial decisions, not under the control of City officials, and campaign expenditures mostly go to benefit local businesses.

By Constitutional requirement, both our U.S. Congressional Representatives and our Washington State Representatives have two-year terms, like Bellingham City Council’s At-Large representative. This keeps our representatives more accountable to citizens. Accessibility and accountability are important fundamental values of good governance.

Regular campaigning and attending community events keep candidates closer to the people, in touch with issues affecting our daily lives and able to make informed decisions. Some potential candidates for the At-Large seat might prefer a two-year term over a four-year commitment. In fact, in recent years some four-year Council seats have had only one candidate, but there have been numerous candidates for the At-Large position.

This amendment may be more convenient for politicians but it takes away citizens’ rights. Our Charter’s intent is to give citizens the right to change a majority of Council members every two years, not to provide a convenient alternating election cycle for Council and the Mayor.

To protect voters’ rights, please vote NO on the Charter amendment.

Statement prepared by:

Kenni B. Merritt, a Bellingham attorney who is active in civic and community affairs.