Planned Parenthood Advocates Of Greater Washington and North Idaho Endorsements

Whatcom County Executive Satpal Sidhu is running for re-election this year. He is a small business owner, the former dean of Bellingham Technical College, and he served on the Whatcom County Council for four years prior to running for county executive in 2019. 

Sidhu led Whatcom County through a particularly tumultuous period. Most of his first term was focused on supporting the community through the pandemic - which began just two months after he took office - and responding to the historic Nooksack River flood. During his first term, the Whatcom County Council also unanimously banned any expansion of fossil fuel facilities at Cherry Point after many years of debate and public protest. He was also supportive of the county's Climate Action Plan and reducing the use of natural gas in local buildings. Sidhu's track record on climate and conservation issues earned him the sole endorsement of Washington Climate Action in this race. 

The other defining issue of Sidhu's term has been the ongoing fight about a new Whatcom County Jail. He has sometimes been at odds with progressive activists over how to handle this facility. Sidhu supported the previous ballot measure that voters rejected. In June, Sidhu proposed a 0.2 percent sales tax increase to build a new jail with 440 cells that would cost at least $137 million. While it's an improvement over previous proposals, some local progressives were disappointed that he continued to push for building a bigger jail. If he's re-elected, we hope Sidhu will adopt a more progressive stance on the jail facility and other issues involving the criminal legal system. 

Sidhu also generated some criticism for his handling of The Healthy Children's Fund, which voters narrowly approved last November. Shortly after the election, he recommended reducing the tax rate written in the ballot measure because he expected it would raise more money than originally estimated. In March, he recommended redirecting $4.5 million from the levy to other purposes. The Whatcom County Council disagreed, voting 6-1 to maintain the funding for building and renovating child care facilities.

He is running for a second term on a platform of housing affordability, salmon recovery, and flood resiliency. As he has throughout his term, Sidhu stresses the importance of finding common ground during a time of divisiveness in our local and national politics. He wants to work together with the county council to update zoning laws to allow more housing density in certain places while maintaining rural and agricultural land. He also touts his ongoing efforts to secure state and federal funding to build a "Skill Center" at Meridian High School to expand family-wage job opportunities in skilled trades. 

Sidhu faces Republican business executive Dan Purdy in the general election. Purdy previously worked for the oil company BP and the mining company Freeport-McMoran Copper and Gold. He has already earned the endorsements of local MAGA Republicans like former Sen. Simon Sefzik. Purdy is not a progressive choice in this race.

Sidhu has earned many endorsements from local and state progressive leaders. If re-elected, he would be one of the few people of color in county leadership positions in Washington state. We recommend Satpal Sidhu for Whatcom County Executive.  

Blaine Police Chief and Navy veteran Donnell "Tank" Tanksley is running for Whatcom County Sheriff. The seat is currently held by Bill Elfo, who is retiring after 20 years in the role. Tank has more than 30 years of law enforcement experience, including working for Western Washington University’s campus force and for police departments outside of Washington state. Tank also serves on a number of community boards including the Whatcom Dispute Resolution Center, the Bellingham-Whatcom Commission on Domestic Violence, and the Incarceration Prevention and Reduction Task Force.

Tank is running with a holistic, preventative, and community-centric approach to reducing crime. If elected, he wants to improve the sheriff’s office with technology modernization, mental health training for officers, and establishing a community justice center. He wants to bring impartial law enforcement, compassionate approaches to reducing homelessness, and expanded treatment options for people struggling with both substance abuse and mental illness. With his relatively progressive approach, Tank has earned an impressive slate of key endorsements in this race.

Undersheriff Doug Chadwick is the other candidate in this race. Chadwick has served in the county sheriff’s office for decades in a range of roles from patrol deputy to his current position; however, he has never led a law enforcement agency himself. He has not released a detailed policy platform as of early October, but he has earned the endorsement of the Whatcom County Republican party and Sheriff Bill Elfo. He is not a progressive choice.

Whatcom residents deserve a sheriff with the experience and compassion necessary to keep every member of our community safe. Donnell “Tank” Tanksley is the clear choice for Whatcom County Sheriff. 

Democratic Party activist and human rights advocate Jon Scanlon is running for At-Large, Position B on the Whatcom County Council. This seat is open following the retirement of Carol Frazey. Previously, Scanlon worked at the U.S. State Department and with OxFam America doing humanitarian work. In addition, he has been a consistent volunteer and elected leader within the Whatcom County Democrats. 

Scanlon is running for office with a focus on affordability and environmental conservation. In particular, he would work to strengthen protections against flooding, ensure access to clean air and water, and preserve the county's farmlands and forests. His two decades of public policy and advocacy experience would also be a welcome addition to the council.

Scanlon faces Hannah Ordos on the ballot this November. Ordos is a customer support manager at Vitamin Porfolio LLC and is a member of the North Sound Behavioral Health Advisory Board. Her website focuses on bringing people together and offers few specific policy details. In 2021, she endorsed Republican Tyler Byrd for Whatcom County Council and this February she was part of a group of "vaccine skeptics" nominated for the Whatcom County Health Board. 

Scanlon has earned an impressive slate of progressive endorsements and is the best choice for Whatcom County Council, At-Large Position B. 

Jackie Dexter is a moderate Democrat running for Whatcom County Council in District 5. She works as an aquaculturist with Drayton Harbor Oyster Farms and lives on her family farm where she raises chickens and cattle. She serves on the Whatcom County Marine Resource Committee and is active with the Blaine Elementary PTO.

Dexter is committed to finding ways to balance the needs of the maritime, agriculture, and refinery industries, which all provide many good jobs in Whatcom County. As the mother of two children in public schools, she wants to expand access to childcare and improve early childhood development opportunities for all families. 

Dexter is challenging Republican Ben Elenbaas in District 5. Outside of the council, he works in the agricultural industry. Last year, Elenbaas ran as a Republican for state Senate and lost in the primary, earning only 19 percent of the vote. Even though working Washingtonians are struggling to pay bills and afford health care, Elenbaas prioritizes industry and corporations, especially oil interests in the region. Elenbaas is also poor at collaborating with his colleagues and often sticks to GOP talking points instead of working together to find solutions that work for everyone.

Dexter has earned impressive endorsements in this race because she understands the community's needs and will work together with her colleagues to get things done. Jackie Dexter is the clear choice for Whatcom County Council from District 5.
 

Progressive campaign organizer Jace Cotton is running for the at-large seat on the Bellingham City Council. This seat is open after Councilmember Kristina Michele Martens decided to run for mayor. 

Cotton was a campaign manager with the Whatcom County Democrats for the last two years, playing a key role in winning all seven priority races. He is now the Campaign Director of Community First Whatcom, which has placed two initiatives on this year's November ballot. One initiative would raise the minimum wage by $2 and the other would increase protections for renters. Previously, he graduated from Western Washington University and worked as a paraeducator in local public schools. 

Cotton is running to advance economic justice in Bellingham. He wants to support low-wage workers and seniors who are struggling with the rapidly increasing cost of living. 

Cotton's opponent is financial advisor Russ Whidbee, who is running for city council once again on a more moderate platform. Previously, he served on the board of the Bellingham Technical College Foundation and worked with the Kulshan Community Land Trust.

Whidbee's campaign is focused on housing affordability, public safety, and homelessness. He states that his focus would be on seeking out grants and public and private partnerships with banks and developers to increase affordable housing. However, he seems unwilling to support the kind of zoning changes needed to bring more housing options and density to our community. He also says he wants to "reimagine" public safety for Bellingham and acknowledges systemic racism in law enforcement. However, his specific policy proposals - like body cameras and de-escalation training - should represent the bare minimum and have largely been implemented already.

Cotton has earned a very impressive slate of endorsements for a first-time candidate and is running a strong campaign. We recommend Jace Cotton for Bellingham City Council, At-Large.  

Immigration lawyer Hannah Stone is running for re-election to the Bellingham City Council in Ward 1. She was appointed to the at-large position on the Bellingham City Council in 2018 and won the Ward 1 seat in 2019. Stone was unanimously selected by the council for her positions on small businesses, education, and affordable housing. She worked in immigration and citizenship law in Bellingham for 11 years in addition to serving as chair of the Whatcom County chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union and co-chair of Citizens for Bellingham Schools. 

Stone is running to utilize her experience as a lawyer and analytical thinking skills to help the city council tackle Bellingham's biggest challenges. During her first term, she took a pragmatic approach on the council during the tumultuous period early in the pandemic. In particular, she pushed to use a portion of the federal pandemic relief funding to make some long-term investments in the community. Unfortunately, she was part of the 5-2 majority of the City Council that recently voted to criminalize public drug use in Bellingham. 

During our interview, Stone said her campaign priorities are the ABCs of Bellingham: affordability, behavioral health, and climate change. In particular, she wants to push for much stronger protections for renters and believes there has been too much of a focus on the needs of landlords. She supported the mayor's climate action fund and would like to give voters the opportunity to vote on climate action. When asked about the perceived inaction by the city council on some important issues, she cited both the difficulty of moving a large bureaucracy forward and her desire to make systematic changes rather than just approving one-off projects, no matter how valuable. 

Stone is a good choice for voters in Ward #1 looking for an experienced voice on the council with a background in law and a track record of building coalitions. 
 

Longtime community activist and organizer Liz Darrow is now running for Bellingham City Council from Ward 3. Darrow works as a freelance video editor and has been the Technical Director of the Cascadia International Women's Film Festival for the last six years. She was a founding member of the city’s Immigration Advisory Board, worked as a legislative advocate for Community to Community Development, and is the elected co-chair for the Lettered Streets Neighborhood Association. In particular, she has advocated for the rights of farmworkers and immigrants, both in Whatcom County and in Olympia, including helping pass legislation in 2021 that made agricultural workers eligible for overtime pay.

Darrow is running for council to bring more responsive, action-oriented leadership to the city council. During our interview, she expressed her frustration with the council's lack of accessibility for most residents. She believes city leaders should be more present in the community to hear residents' concerns and better communicate about the council's work.

Darrow helped write an ambitious proposal called "The Big Lift" that includes ideas about how the city could improve homelessness services and expand tiny home shelter villages. She wants Bellingham and Whatcom County to be more aggressive in pursuing state funding and private partnerships to build some of the 50,000 units of housing she believes they need to build. On climate, Darrow would push the city to adopt a climate resiliency plan and eliminate all transit fares. However, she criticized the mayor's proposed climate action fund for being too focused on electric cars, which are financially out of reach for many residents.

Darrow is a good choice for Ward 3 if you're looking for a progressive organizer on the council who will be very active and visible in the community. 

Rebecca Long is running for Position 2 on the Cheney City Council. Long is a software engineering manager working on corporate decarbonization to create a more sustainable economy. She is exceptionally involved in the tech community, including serving as a computer science career mentor for Eastern Washington University students, the founder of the Spokane Geek Girls community, and the president and founder of Future Ada, a nonprofit focused on diversity and inclusion in STEAM. Outside of tech, Long is a coordinator and founding member of Cheney Cohousing and a board member for the Spokane National Organization for Women.

Long is running on a very progressive platform to build a thriving, sustainable Cheney, where housing options are accessible to working people, businesses can grow, and small town qualities can be embraced. If elected, she wants to revitalize the downtown area, modernize infrastructure and zoning, invest in more housing options, and strengthen the relationship between Eastern Washington University and the city. She wants to leverage her knowledge of technology and her experience in connecting the community together to bring innovative, responsive leadership to the council. 

Long is challenging incumbent Vincent Barthels, who was appointed in 2019 and retained in 2020. Outside of elected office, Barthels works for a private civil engineering firm and has spent his career in environmental consulting. While he has been a strong advocate for a sustainable future in Cheney, his platform is not nearly as progressive as Long’s.

Cheney deserves bold action to achieve a better future for all residents. We recommend Rebecca Long for Cheney City Council, Position 2.
 

Adjunct professor Jacquelyn Belock is running for Cheney City Council, Position 6 on a progressive platform that seeks to improve life for all in the city. As a mom who serves as vice-chair of the Cheney Planning Commission, Belock has unique insight into how to engage the community with local government.

Belock's work on the planning commission has aimed to make sensible zoning reform that allows for more than just expensive single-family homes. Securing more types of housing, more affordable housing, and pushing back against big developers has been a huge part of her work in the community, including speaking up for residents of the threatened trailer park. 

If elected, Belock wants to lead the city in making improvements for people walking and rolling in our neighborhoods. She knows the community needs to update water infrastructure due to aging and outdated reservoirs. She's also excited to expand recreational spaces so that everyone can access spaces to thrive and play.

Her opponent, Ag Enterprise Supply worker Pete Montague, states that he's not running with a specific agenda and just wants to give back to the community. In comparison to Belock's strong pro-worker stance, Montague says that he is not pro- or anti-union, and believes that fighting or striking for better rights is sometimes "selfish." He lists no elected or community leadership experience in his official voter pamphlet statement and has no website or social media to take a closer look at his agenda as of mid-October.

Belock is engaged and excited to work for the community with her progressive platform. She is by far the best choice for Cheney City Council, Position 6.
 

We believe Andrew Vander Stoep is the best choice in this race based on endorsements from our partners and trusted community leaders. While we have not been able to conduct our standard independent research on this race, we encourage you to visit their website, social media, or voters’ pamphlet statement to learn more.
 

Deb McNeil is running for mayor of Pullman to replace Glenn Johnson, who is retiring. She is a retired teacher in Pullman and she owned and operated the Quilted Heart downtown for 17 years. She is also a master gardener and serves on the board of the WSU Center for Civic Engagement.

McNeil wants to use her experience running a small business to attract and grow more retail options in the city. She is also committed to deploying a new comprehensive plan to guide the city's growth, including doing more to reduce the cost of housing for young professionals. McNeil is also focused on improving the city's water and sewer infrastructure and looking for ways to improve sustainability as the region grapples with water shortages.

McNeil is running against former city council member Francis Benjamin. He taught at WSU for 35 years and is the former president of the Association of Washington Cities. Benjamin wants to make Pullman a welcoming place to live as the city continues to grow. Benjamin also wants the city to do more to promote public and performing arts by creating an arts district and hosting festivals.

We recommend McNeil for mayor of Pullman because of her years of community engagement and strong endorsements.

Jeff Robinson is vying for Walla Walla City Council, Position 5 to represent the West Ward. Robinson works as a case manager with Aging and Long Term Care. He is an active community advocate who has organized for LGBTQ+ rights, affordable housing, and living wages. Currently, Robinson serves on the city’s planning commission.

Robinson is running to make Walla Walla a safe and healthy place to live, work, start businesses, go to school, and raise families. He lists a lack of medical infrastructure and affordable housing as the city’s biggest challenges. Robinson also wants to work on equity issues in the city, proposing that Walla Walla establish an Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Commission and include Spanish language interpretation for all city council meetings.

In this race, Robinson is challenging conservative incumbent Susan Smiley Nakonieczny, a language arts teacher, who is seeking a second term on the council. Nakonieczny has been regressive in office, including opposing some housing affordability efforts. 

Walla Walla deserves a leader who places community needs first. Jeff Robinson is the best candidate in this race.
 

Dulce Gutierrez is running to represent District 1 on the Yakima City Council. A child of immigrant agricultural workers, she became one of the first Latinas ever elected in Yakima. She held her seat from 2015 to 2019, where she served as assistant mayor for two years. Gutierrez is also a long-time organizer with the Washington State Labor Council, where she works with union members and assists with immigration services.

As a council member, Gutierrez has lived up to her dedication to safe communities, affordable housing, and improved infrastructure. She voted to fund gang prevention and intervention support in public schools and helped create a community diversion program to assist people struggling with drug abuse. She also voted to fund new housing for lower-income residents and homeless veterans and supported the creation of Camp Hope to provide a safe place for people living on the street. Gutierrez has supported funding improvements to the city's transportation network, pool, playgrounds, and community center, integrating solar energy into these new projects.

Gutierrez's opponent is Republican-endorsed Leo Roy, a businessman who says he wants to focus on homelessness and crime while being a voice for small business owners. Roy does not name any proposals for how he will address the lack of affordable housing, instead endorsing policies that have only further criminalized people in poverty while solving nothing. Although he claims to support some infrastructure improvements like adding street lighting, his platform is heavily focused on removing the paid parking downtown that funds lighting, trees, and accessible sidewalk repairs. Roy's statements indicate that he would prioritize the interests of downtown businesses over the wellbeing of the community as a whole.

Gutierrez has been a powerful voice for the immigrant community and working people. She has earned your vote to represent Yakima City Council from District 1.
 

There are no progressive candidates running in this race. Holly Cousens is running for re-election to the Yakima City Council in District 7. Cousens has served on the council since 2016, and was named assistant mayor in 2020. She currently works full-time as a business technology professor at Yakima Valley College.

Cousens is running on a moderate conservative platform that focuses on increasing police presence, reducing spending, and benefitting downtown businesses. Her voting record trends conservative as well - she voted against a sales tax that would have funded much-needed affordable housing, and she voted in favor of allowing ICE to continue deportation flights into Yakima.

Reedy Berg is a Trump Republican who is challenging incumbent Cousens. Berg readily acknowledges that he lacks political experience or business expertise, and his platform only contains vague suggestions for how to address homelessness, crime, and economic issues.

On social media, Berg has re-shared videos of Donald Trump's speeches where he criticizes "wokeness" in schools, and he claims that the city is cutting policing to fund Pride Month.

Although we disagree with Cousens on many important issues, her political experience and more moderate stances than Berg make her the better choice for Yakima City Council, District 7.
 

J. Riley Sweeney is running for the District 5 seat on the Meridian School District board. Sweeney currently works as the city of Ferndale’s Communication/Recreation Coordinator and previously worked with nonprofits and small businesses. Additionally, he chairs the County Food System Committee and serves on the Irene Reither Elementary PTA board.

If elected, Sweeney wants to prevent partisan influence on public curriculums and instead focus on accuracy, fact, and science so that Meridian students are best prepared for their futures. Another priority for him is to make sweeping investments in the district to support educators with higher salaries, help continued recovery from the pandemic, and uplift enrichment programs and the arts.

Sweeney's opponent is Michelle Simmons, who works for a restoration franchise business. She is a first-time candidate involved in a number of community groups, including the Meridian Boosters, the Meridian Strategic Planning Committee, and a PTA, where she serves as a chair. Simmons’ does not have a campaign website as of early October and the limited campaign information that's available does not include any specific policy solutions. In an article in Cascadia Daily, she complained about restrooms and locker rooms that include the needs of gender diverse students and decried education that speaks to students about race.

As a parent with strong progressive values who has kids enrolled in the district, Riley Sweeney is the clear choice for Director, District 5 on the Meridian School District board.
 

Miranda Skalisky is running for Wenatchee School Board in District 4. Skalisky holds a master's degree in human services, and currently works investigating the abuse of elderly and disabled residents. She previously worked in the court and detention system, did community outreach for the local police department, and volunteered with multiple nonprofits and community groups.

If elected, Skalisky wants to make sure the board manages their budget to keep funding the necessary resources for students and families. She wants to increase community outreach and multilingual communication to Wenatchee's diverse immigrant population, and would work on connecting families to transportation, housing, and other resources. She also supports expanding the rich curriculum in schools, providing more diverse opportunities for students with varying goals in life.

When asked about progressives' possible concerns over her close ties to law enforcement, Skalisky said she hopes her volunteer work has shown her dedication to the community. Making schools more inclusive is a top priority for her, as she has observed how students of color and working class kids are misrepresented by parents and leadership. She hopes that we can create safety and acceptance for students of all backgrounds at school.

The other candidate in this race is Kendra Martin. Martin recently left her job at Wenatchee High School, where she worked in nutrition services and as an executive assistant. She holds a master's degree in secondary education.

Martin's platform has some positive points - she criticizes the overuse of standardized testing on students, wants school administration to create a more supportive work environment for staff, and supports an equal education for kids of all different backgrounds.

However, Martin has some red flags that align with the views of right-wing groups that are active in our local school board races. She emphasizes "parental rights" and would support opt-out processes for curriculum, arguments that conservatives use to ban books and oppose comprehensive sex education. She also thinks schools have an obligation to report students' "insecurities around any number of factors" to parents, which may indicate that she would require teachers to report kids who are questioning their gender or sexuality. Martin has also criticized the teachers' unions and schools for not appreciating "differing opinions."

Martin has raised no funds and has no campaign website as of October.

Skalisky has earned endorsements from many educators' groups and progressive organizations. She is the best choice in this race.