Luanne Van Werven (R) – Position 1 Incumbent
- How will you advocate for business recovery, both small and large in the Legislature during the 2021 session?
- I trust our businesses, large and small to make the best decisions for how to open to full capacity in a manner that is safe for employees and customers. I have researched other states to see what they are proposing as a way to bolster their state economies and struggling businesses. There are many ways the legislature can help and I am preparing several bills modeled after the best ideas and practices from other states. In the meantime, additional taxation on already hurting families and businesses trying to recover from the pandemic should not be a consideration. We need to expand our manufacturing sector with incentives to locate or expand locally. We need to preserve, protect and expand opportunities for our Cherry Point industries which provide family wage jobs for local families.
- What have you learned about this community as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic?
- Early on when we were first learning of the seriousness of Covid-19 we came together with a strong sense of community, united in purpose. The phrases, “stay home, stay healthy, “we got this”, “we’re in this together” were expressions we all used in our conversations. And truly we meant it. It reminded me of the days right after 9/11 when all Americans came together, united in cause and purpose. But as the shut down continued month after month with our economy in free fall, and Americans suffering from job losses and the mental fatigue that comes with quarantine and isolation, I saw a shift in attitude and tolerance. I have been disappointed to see the dividing lines between opening the economy safely and a continued shut down. It has also been difficult for businesses and organizations to navigate the changing standards and rules for reopening. There are inconsistencies and double standards and I’ve heard the frustrations and desperation of many of my constituents. I continue to advocate for equal treatment in how we re-open our places of work, recreation and worship. And most of all, I would like to see us return to a place of understanding and acceptance even as we have differing opinions and approaches.
- What is one thing you would like Chamber Members to know about you before they vote in this election?
- It’s been my honor to serve the 42nd district for the past 6 years and I am looking forward to re-election for another 2 years. My legislative service primarily centers on my committee work. As a member of the Transportation committee I have advocated for important local transportation projects – projects such as the Thornton Rd. overpass in Ferndale, the Orchard street connector in Bellingham, improvements for the Guide Meridian (Lynden north to border), working with Blaine City leaders to determine the best fix for congestion at Peace Portal and Bell Rd and many others. I also serve on Innovation, Technology and Economic Development committee. Our priority has been looking for solutions to fill gaps for internet access in underserved areas – even more important with folks working from home and kids learning online. As lead Republican on College and Work Force Development my work centers on providing students with affordable and accessible college and vocational training. I’m proud of my hallmark legislation- a bill that brought Open Education Resources to Community and Technical College students to access free online text-books. A bill I passed this year provides notification to students if low cost course materials ($50 or less) are available. I was also pleased to pass a consequential bill called Hailey’s Law that prevents drunk drivers from accessing vehicles for 12 hours when they are cited for DUI.
- luannevanwerven.com
Alicia Rule (D) – Position 1 Candidate
- How will you advocate for business recovery, both small and large in the Legislature during the 2021 session?
- I am committed to working with Republicans and Democrats to get the economy moving. We need to invest in our businesses so they can grow and create jobs right here in Whatcom County. I will push to make sure small businesses, including restaurants, have the resources they need to safely stay open, like PPE for all employees and access to free COVID testing for everyone.We also must invest in our businesses to strengthen and build our middle class. One of the most powerful ways we can do this is by investing in jobs. For example, we cannot rely on foreign countries for essential medical supplies. I will invest in medical supply manufacturing here in Whatcom County, to grow manufacturing jobs and ensure we have the health supplies we need.
- What have you learned about this community as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic?
- While this is not new, I have been reminded how strong our community is, that when we come together and support one another we can weather any storm. The creativity and perseverance we have seen from our local restaurants and businesses is inspiring.
- What is one thing you would like Chamber Members to know about you before they vote in this election?
- As a Blaine City Council member, I worked with downtown small business owners to build a strong and revitalized downtown and brought living wage jobs to Blaine with a new medical center. When the pandemic hit, I didn’t stop. I worked to provide our small businesses with much needed resources, additional low interest loan options and support for new outdoor options. I worked to bring in new business owners and we’ve now, in the middle of the pandemic, added or approved plans for a retail store, three restaurants, additional housing, and event space. We increased much needed housing all built around a downtown, which was a welcome change to local residents, reducing their need for long commutes for basic needs and increasing a sense of connected community. It’s still in the beginning stages, but the plans are now written in a way to build responsibly. I am committed to and have a strong track record of investing in and supporting businesses and jobs in Whatcom County.
- votealiciarule.com
Position 2
Sharon Shewmake (D) – Position 2 Incumbent
- How will you advocate for business recovery, both small and large in the Legislature during the 2021 session?
- Our community was hit hard by COVID-19, but the economic pain wasn’t as bad as feared because spending was supported by the CARES Act. Some businesses are doing well, some are figuring out how to pivot, and unfortunately some are going to be closed for a while through no fault of their own, but because they are in an industry where it’s hard to social distance. Normally I see my job as advocating generally for business by creating an economic environment with predictable rules, good infrastructure including transportation and high-speed internet, available workforce housing and affordable childcare, and an educated workforce with the skills that are needed to do business today and in the future. This includes 4-year colleges as well as apprenticeships and trade schools. Our current recession is a little different, and what we need to figure out is how to help businesses that were hit hardest and help other businesses adjust to our new reality. Small grants of up to $10K can be used to help keep businesses alive. We need to continue funding foundational public health services that help businesses acquire PPE and figure out how to open safely. We also need to make sure businesses have a seat at the table in discussing how to go about business safely. At first the governor’s office was going industry by industry to create self-start plans but I made the case (over and over again) that what was really needed was a flow chart where businesses could immediately figure out what they needed to do to keep their workers and their customers safe. We need to be looking at broader stumbling blocks and here’s what I’m doing: 1. I’m working with our farming community to simplify regulations on butchering that would allow small farmers to connect more directly with consumers while still ensuring food is safe. 2. I’ve been working with our childcare providers to make sure they have access to the funds they need because there is no economic recovery without childcare. 3. We are going to need an economic stimulus. In addition to grants, there are two areas I’d like to see stimulus funding. The first is a temporary cut to the sales tax. While the economy has been propped up by the CARES act funding, there is still a lot of uncertainty and big purchases are harder to make under uncertainty. A benefit like a sales tax cut helps bring purchases forward. – I am working on a transportation package and investments in things like forest health that keep us all safe, cut pollution, and create rural jobs.
- What have you learned about this community as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic?
- I think I knew this already, but we are a community that cares. I spent a day volunteering at the Ferndale Food Bank and noted how people were coming in from all walks of life to help, drop off food, and pick up food for their families and others. I helped a housing manager help her residents by finding sources of toilet paper and food that could be delivered directly to families that had lost a job or were in quarantine. I created a fundraiser to buy lunches for stressed out front line workers that raised ten times more than I initially asked for. Everyone was touched by all the people willing to sew masks and distribute them to their neighbors on front porches and through Facebook groups. We can do great things and overcome hardship when we listen to one another and work together.Our community is also creative. I’ve been impressed at how businesses have learned to adapt to circumstances. Distillers quickly started producing hand sanitizer, restaurants opened up new plazas and expanded take-out options, stores figured out how to serve customers while protecting their workers as well. Our community is not conservative or liberal, but you can find both conservative and liberal views as well as many people who just aren’t interested in politics. I think it’s my job to put partisanship aside and work with everyone to look for win-win solutions. That doesn’t mean we don’t tackle tough issues, but it means when we do tackle tough issues, we look for ways to bring more people in. We hear concerns. we create opportunities. When you solve big problems, you save money and you create opportunity. In economics we call this ‘gains to trade’, that’s where you can bring people to your side.
- What is one thing you would like Chamber Members to know about you before they vote in this election?
- I can work with anyone because I’m not an ideologue. Politics sometimes feels mean and impersonal, but I think it’s made me a more empathetic person because I’ve heard stories from so many different types of people. That’s the best part of this job, because it stretches me to be better, listen more, and really try to understand people whose concerns and families are different from my own. It also means that my door is always open. It doesn’t matter if it’s a billion dollar multinational or a cottage food producer, I try to bring solutions to people who want to see government work better. I tell people on both sides that I have to represent everyone in this community, not just Democrats, not just Republicans. Businesses are finding that diversity is a strength when it comes to making better decisions, and I think working with diverse coalitions is a strength in policymaking as well.
- sharon4whatcom.com
Jennifer Sefzik (R) – Position 2 Candidate
- How will you advocate for business recovery, both small and large in the Legislature during the 2021 session?
- It is tragic how hard the small business community has been hurt as well as major industries such as the travel and the hospitality sector. Ferndale has been particularly hard hit with the loss of Intalco and with the uncertainty surrounding Cherry Point industries. The first thing I would do is actually listen to business owners and industry leaders and hear what they think that they need to recover.
Secondly, I will support policies that offer a stable and predictable business environment. Businesses and individuals do not need the threat of, or further tax burdens such as a payroll tax, head tax, mileage tax, etc… Let’s look at tax rates and realize that these are the people and businesses paying the taxes and we have to get them healthy. I’d like to see reimbursement to businesses for the cost of their COVID compliance which many could not afford. What about some sales or B & O “tax holidays”? Businesses can’t grow when they fear more taxes and regulations. Generally, we need to reign back the government overreach. Let’s do a full review of regulations and reduce them where we can, in every nook and cranny.
Lastly, there are other surrounding issues that affect business recovery such as the lack of affordable housing which limits the labor pool for hiring. The Growth Management Act is largely a culprit for this and needs to be re-evaluated. Workforce development is an area to fund to support vocational and trades skilled labor programs to support our industries and the manufacturing sector. Bellingham Technical College and high school vocational trades tracts could be expanded, supported by early career counseling.
I will advocate for business recovery any way that I am able. It is in my DNA and my life experience is business plain and simple. My degree is in Business/Marketing. My husband and I together have a wide range of business experience from home building, affordable housing, office machines/industrial equipment, real estate development, and an outdoor media company. His background is finance/CPA/real estate, so he is a wealth of information from which I draw.
I believe in the entrepreneurial spirit and ingenuity come when people are free to work and create. People are our most valuable resource. Having been in sales and marketing for most of my life, I know how rewarding it is to start from nothing and build a business by taking the risks to build it and celebrate the success. It’s that pride of ownership that drives competition and innovation. We work hard when are efforts are incentivized.
We need a friendlier business climate in WA state. There is a proverb, “a rising tide lifts all boats”. Let’s get businesses safely and fully open, healthy, and we’ll all enjoy the rising tide.
- What have you learned about this community as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic?
- There are generous, kind, and resilient people here. In March, when we went into lock down, things went dark for all of us with the uncertainty of our present and future. What I decided to do was listen to people. I started making phone calls to my neighbors asking how they were, and I listened. I started talking to business owners and I listened. As a result, I did a series called, “Behind Closed Doors” so small business owners voices could be heard. I heard heartbreaking stories but, what people really struggled with was what was warranted to protect our health and balance our livelihoods. I have heard the sadness, anger and frustration of no end in sight and not knowing what to believe. The bottom line is that we, as a society and community, have lost a lot. We are grieving. We have lost “normal”. Some are still walking through dark days physically, emotionally and spiritually. But in the midst of that darkness, I have also heard stories of sacrifice, love and hope. In Ferndale I heard of generous landlords, I heard of neighbors supporting downtown businesses by buying extra, tipping generously, giving gift cards, buying for neighbors. I heard of people supporting downtown restaurants because they knew of the hardships, so they became “take out” regulars. I also heard of a musical ensemble performing backyard concerts for shut ins as they enjoyed from their porches. I live in Ferndale and was looking for a way to serve the community. I saw that the Senior Center was short-handed and in March began volunteering. This gave me the opportunity to work with the director, Karma and activity director, Markus. They are wholly dedicated to these seniors, who are grieving the loss of their weekly activities and community. Therefore, the “once a week” meal pickup has become a place where they can social distance, with masks and essentially tailgate and see their friends. Not to mention that they receive an amazing bag of nutritious meals and groceries! There is laughter, the joy of reconnecting and relishing a once a week visit. I learned that the Senior Center offers a valuable service and IS a community. When so many normal things have been stripped away from us, we have learned again to appreciate the simple pleasures of life. I’ve been blessed by kind neighbors delivering a vase of fresh flowers and a homemade blueberry pie. I do hope that after our lock down is done, we will remember to check on our neighbors, ask how they are really doing, share a meal, bring flowers, “just because”. We were not made to live in isolation, but in community and I am grateful for this one. May we press on together.
- What is one thing you would like Chamber Members to know about you before they vote in this election?
- I genuinely care about people and I want to see our businesses and community thrive again and build forward with purpose. Being a part of a vision that is bigger than me, brings me great joy, because it requires teamwork. My greatest strengths are observing, listening and harnessing talent to get things done. That is what I hope to bring to our communities, working synergistically, so that I can advocate well for them in Olympia. It is not about me, it is about “us”.
- sefzik4house.com