It is difficult not to like Barbara Brenner. She has a lot of spunk and an adorable personality. She says repeatedly that she represents all the people of Whatcom County, and I accept that she genuinely believes that. I like Barbara Brenner, but I also believe she is dead wrong on the issue of District Only Voting.
One of the hot issues on the Ballot this coming November is going to be a re-vote on the District Only Voting we voters passed overwhelmingly in 2005. This issue is championed, primarily, by Barbara Brenner, but the call for a re-vote was passed 6-1 by the Whatcom County Council, with only Sam Crawford voting opposed. Following the vote, Councilman Carl Weimer stated, "Let the campaigning begin," and I'm confident it will. It already has!
Councilwoman Brenner's primary objection to District Only Voting seems rather one-dimensional. She has stated repeatedly her dismay that members of council will (jokingly) say they don't care about an issue because it doesn't affect their district, or that they will tell her (jokingly) to butt out because she doesn't represent their district. She calls this "new information" and in a guest editorial to the Bellingham Herald, asserted that this new information merits a revisit of this issue on November's ballot. I don't know how pervasive the "butt out" issue is, or if the individuals are joking or not. What I do know, however, is giving Barbara Brenner every benefit of the doubt, even then, this is an issue with the council member, not with the system whereby they were elected.
It has been said that opponents to the re-vote oppose it because we don't want a liberal majority controlling the county. It is true that I don't want a liberal majority controlling the County Council or the City Council (Bellingham), but the reality is, they do. That's not the issue here. The issue is, representation.
We have a representative seat on each council from which the elected official represents everyone and is voted on by everyone. It is the "At Large" seat. The way Barb wants this set up, indeed the way the Bellingham City Council is set up, ALL seats are at large. We don't have a representative (by Ward) council. We have a seven member, all at large council. In the same way I don't get to vote for or against US Senatorial candidates from the state of West Virginia, I don't get to vote on the County Council candidates who are not from my district, and I should not be able to vote on City Council candidates who are not from my ward. It is bad policy to have the people of Lynden voting for a representative for Fairhaven, and for Fairhaven to vote for a representative for Lynden. Each needs their own representative on the council.
In that vein, County Councilman Sam Crawford made a presentation to the Charter Review Commission in 2005, in which he proposed the council redistrict from three council districts to five. In the Crawford proposal, two districts are representing the City of Bellingham, which has 2/5 of the Whatcom County population, and three districts represent the remaining population of Whatcom County. Thus we have six members representing by district and one at large, ensuring true representation on the County Council for the entire population of Whatcom County.
I like Crawford's proposal, and would like very much to see it implemented.
We have already voted on District Specific Representation, and it passed overwhelmingly. I suspect when the issue hits the ballots this November, it will pass overwhelmingly again.
