Whatcom County Council - Who's Trying To Buy Seats?

Today in the Bellingham Herald, I noticed another 'Letter to the Editor' supporting a 'conservative' candidate for Whatcom County Council. It wasn't so much a letter of support as it was the same boiler-plate attempt to cast doubt on Ken Mann.

As with all the other letter's from Republican Party activists, it didn't bother to mention that the source was Ken's family and friends when it brought up "funds from outside Whatcom County".

Although I'm sure the letter writer had other, more partisan/ideological things, in mind, I did agree with part of what she wrote: "We do not need council members who are obligated to outside influences ..."

The PDC reports of County Council candidates Sam Crawford and Chris Hatch have a common element; even at a glance, it sure looks like they are backed by the building industry.

I took the time to go over the PDC reports and do the math; adding up the contributions from the Building Industry Assoc., Contractors, Developers, Realtors, etc. and it was worse than I first thought! Both Crawford and Hatch have received about 65% of their campaign contributions from real estate development interests.

Now mind you, I'm not accusing Crawford or Hatch of 'selling out'. I'm quite certain that those contributing to their campaigns don't really feel they're buying candidates, it's just that they're certain Crawford and Hatch are already 'their people'.

With suburban sprawl, traffic and water quality the big issues facing the County Government, I don't think we need council members who would always vote in favor of Developers and Realtors, even when it would hurt the citizens of Whatcom County.

I don't like the idea of special interests controlling seats on the County Council, so I strongly recommend that citizens vote for (depending on which council district you live in) Ken Mann or Bob Kelly.