Six candidates on primary ballot for Whatcom executive

Five people are challenging Whatcom County Executive Satpal Sidhu in the Aug. 1 primary, from which the two candidates with the most votes will advance to the Nov. 7 general election.

This year’s city and county races are nonpartisan.

Nevertheless, Sidhu and two of his opponents — Barry Buchanan and Alicia Rule — are listed as “certified Democrats” on the Whatcom Democrats’ web page for endorsements and recommendations. The Whatcom Republicans are supporting Dan Purdy of Lynden.

All voting is by mail in Washington state.

Ballots must be postmarked — not simply placed in the mail — by 8 p.m. Aug. 1 to be counted. Ballots can also be placed in official ballot drop boxes that will be locked when polling closes.

In Whatcom County, the county executive is the highest elected official and is essentially the CEO, managing the various county departments and executing public policy as set by the County Council.

It’s a four-year term, and the job pays $209,000 annually.

In Whatcom County, there are separate elected offices for assessor, auditor, prosecuting attorney, sheriff and treasurer. None of those offices is on the primary ballot.

Here’s how the candidates responded to a Bellingham Herald questionnaire that asked them to list their qualifications, the top three issues facing the county, and how they would solve one of those priorities. Candidates are listed in the order that they appear on the ballot:

Misty Flowers

Misty Flowers is a musician and anti-vaccine activist who ran unsuccessfully for the Whatcom County Council in 2021, getting 9% of the vote in the primary.

Earlier this year, Flowers was rejected for an appointment to the Whatcom County Public Health Advisory Board because of her vocal opposition to vaccines and her public resistance to COVID-19 health requirements such as masking, business closures, social distancing and other measures designed to slow the spread of the disease early in the new coronavirus pandemic.

She’s been a frequent speaker during the open comment period at County Council meetings, where she has spread false and misleading information about vaccines and the pandemic. In addition, she has alleged fraud in the 2022 local election without providing evidence.

“If you love ‘em, protect ‘em and do not inject ’em,” Flowers sings in the song “Some of Us” uploaded to her YouTube channel in July 2022.

Flowers did not respond to The Bellingham Herald’s request for information.

She has raised $2,213 for her campaign, according to the state Public Disclosure Commission.

Alicia Rule

State Rep. Alicia Rule, D-Blaine, is a former member of the Blaine City Council and a therapist in private practice. In Washington state’s part-time Legislature, she is one of two House members representing the 42nd Legislative District, which includes Bellingham’s northern neighborhoods and the rest of northern Whatcom County.

Rule attended Meridian district schools and has earned a BA in psychology and American ethnic studies from the University of Washington and a master’s in social work from San Diego State University.

“The top three issues our communities are facing are ensuring public safety, addressing homelessness and improving mental health services because it is not compassionate to leave our neighbors on sidewalks and in parks, and addressing increasing affordability,” Rule told The Herald in an email.

In addition, she founded and served as president of Blaine Downtown Development Association.

Rule told The Herald that in the Legislature she “fought for more nurses and counselors in our schools and funding to directly support our communities,” including allocations for inpatient treatment, the Anne Deacon Center for Hope, a wellness center at Lummi Nation, and a planned 23-hour behavioral health urgent care center.

“We need to address the mental health crisis that so many of us are experiencing — including our kids. As executive, I will oversee the successful implementation of these programs and ensure they have the resources they need to serve our neighbors,” she said.

She has raised $18,790 for her campaign, according to the state Public Disclosure Commission.

Satpal Sidhu

County Executive Satpal Sidhu — the first person of color to hold that job — took office in January 2020, weeks before a devastating flood that hit communities along the Nooksack River. Barely two months later came the COVID-19 pandemic, and Whatcom County rose as the lead agency coordinating the response efforts.

Sidhu, a businessman, farmer and former dean of engineering at Bellingham Technical College, served one four-year term on the County Council before his election as county executive. He was born in India, immigrated to the U.S. from Canada and is one of only a handful of members of the Sikh faith who hold public office across the U.S.

He has an MBA and bachelor of science degrees in physics and math and engineering and is a Fulbright scholar who speaks four languages. A resident of rural Lynden, he and his wife also operate the Spice Hut store in north Bellingham.

Besides the pandemic and flooding, Sidhu’s first term was marked by the racial justice movement after the murder of George Floyd, rising rents, soaring homelessness and the fentanyl epidemic, followed by a second and third round of flooding in November 2021.

He was a key figure in advancing plans for the Whatcom County Racial Equity Commission, and Sidhu told The Herald that his priorities are a new jail, housing affordability and land-use planning, the environment and climate mitigation.

“I have created a collaborative working alliance between the County Council, the Bellingham City Council and the small cities’ mayors to develop a succinct proposal for a new justice and safety facility with ‘treatment over incarceration’ as its motto,” Sidhu said.

“The current problems of housing affordability, homelessness, income equality and environmental degradation are because of shortsighted planning at all levels of government. I am already challenging the County Council, land developers, landowners, county and municipal planners, conservation groups, farmers, and city residents to work together,” he said.

He’s endorsed by elected leaders such as 42nd District state Sen. Sharon Shewmake (D-Bellingham), U.S. Rep. Rick Larsen (D-Everett) and Whatcom County Council members Todd Donovan, Carol Frazey and Kaylee Galloway.

Sidhu has raised $81,037 for his campaign, according to the state Public Disclosure Commission.

Dan Purdy

This is business executive Dan Purdy’s first run for elective office. He’s a resident of Lynden who works remotely as director of partnerships for the Inc. 5000 advisory firm Cultivate Advisors.

Purdy has a master’s degree in business administration from Colorado State University, focusing on information technology. He has 25 years of experience in business, from large firms to start-ups, including British Petroleum and Hewlett-Packard, according to his campaign website.

“My campaign is focused on setting the PACE: increasing public safety; promoting accountability and fiscal responsibility; reducing the cost of living; and promoting environmental stewardship,” Purdy told The Herald in an email, echoing his campaign slogan.

“I will elevate the principles of respect, fairness, and balance to the challenges facing Whatcom County,” he said.

In addition to his academic degrees, Purdy is certified in business principles that target operational waste, including a Lean Six Sigma Black Belt from Purdue University. He’s also the author of “FIRES: A Guide to Financial, Internal, Relational, External, and Spiritual Transformation.”

Purdy told The Herald that his years of business experience would inform his work as county executive.

“Rather than the typical tax-and-spend approach to funding ineffective programs, I will focus on efficient use of taxpayer dollars through fiscal discipline, waste reduction, performance measurement and cost avoidance,” he told The Herald.

“Through better defined processes and deeper stakeholder engagement, the executive branch of government will become more transparent and more accountable to the people it serves,” Purdy said.

He has raised $7,468 for his campaign, according to the state Public Disclosure Commission. But he has spent $30,616 on his campaign so far — the only candidate to run a deficit.

He’s endorsed by former state Sen. Simon Sefzik, R-Ferndale, Port Commissioner Ken Bell, and former Sumas Mayor Kyle Christensen.

Barry Buchanan

Whatcom County Councilmember Barry Buchanan is in his third four-year term and is serving as council chair, running the meetings and enforcing legislative procedures.

He also served one term on the Bellingham City Council and has been a guiding force with the community organization that developed plans for a new jail and a funding initiative on the November ballot.

“I have a passion for public service and seeing big projects through to completion,” Buchanan said in his online ballot statement.

“I’ve led on the issues that matter most: completing a new mental health crisis facility, founding a multi-government homelessness work group, countywide affordable child care and planning a safe, right-sized jail,” he said.

Buchanan, who lives in Bellingham, graduated from Bellingham High and served seven years in the U.S. Navy, working on aircraft electronics. He’s retired from his job as an engineer at Lockheed Martin, where his projects included the space shuttle and the Hubble Space Telescope.

Climate change, the housing crisis and criminal justice reform are his priorities, he told The Herald in an email.

“Climate change is here now, and we need to take action,” he said.

That includes putting “a lens on climate change and climate change equity while performing the 2025 Comprehensive Plan update,” Buchanan said.

“I will also work to implement the work of the Climate Action Plan and make mitigation and resilience a part of everyday policy development and implementation. Partnering with our other jurisdictions throughout the region will be critical in this work,” he said.

He’s endorsed by the Riveters Collective and by elected leaders such as 42nd District state Sen. Sharon Shewmake (D-Bellingham), 40th District state Rep. Debra Lekanoff (D-Bow) and Whatcom County Council members Todd Donovan and Kaylee Galloway.

Buchanan has raised $7,653 for his campaign, according to the state Public Disclosure Commission.

Sukhwant Gill

Sukhwant Gill is a businessman and a former member of the Blaine City Council.

Gill has taken some college courses overseas and is a certified nursing aide in Washington state, he told The Herald. He has owned and operated several business, most recently the Blaine Mart.

He also has served on the Blaine Tourism and Advisory Committee. worked with Miracle Food Network, providing food and clothes for those in need.

Gill has 18 years experience as paymaster and union leader for a municipal electricity department in his native India, serving a population with more than 15,000 people.

He told The Herald that he would prioritize “safer communities and expanded mental health resources, a productive economy and jobs that help working families afford housing and basic needs,” along with collaborative water rights negotiations as the state moves toward legal action to prioritize water rights in the Nooksack River Basin.

“For water supply, we must reach a partnership that can best serve farmers, tribes, homesteaders, cities, and healthy salmon runs. This will require respectful conversation and care,” Gill said.

Gill has raised $13,994 for his campaign, according to the state Public Disclosure Commission.