Candidates for Whatcom county executive see housing crisis, crime as priorities

In his quest for a second term, Whatcom County Executive Satpal Sidhu is facing business executive Dan Purdy, after they finished first and second in the Aug. 1 primary.

Sidhu had 35% of the vote and Purdy got 28% in a five-way race.

In Whatcom County, the county executive is the highest elected official and is essentially the CEO, developing a budget, 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.

This year’s city and county races are nonpartisan. Even so, Sidhu is listed as a “certified Democrat” and endorsed on the Whatcom Democrats’ web page. The Whatcom Republicans are supporting Purdy.

Satpal Sidhu

Sidhu — the first person of color to hold that job — took office in January 2020, just weeks before a devastating flood that hit communities along the Nooksack River.

Barely two months later came the COVID-19 pandemic, and Whatcom County became the lead agency coordinating the response efforts.

“All my plans were put on the back burner,” including plans for housing, a new jail and mental health treatment programs, Sidhu told the League of Women Voters at a candidate forum recently.

Sidhu, a businessman, farmer and former dean of engineering at Bellingham Technical College, was appointed to fill an open seat on the County Council in 2015, then won a four-year term on the council a few months later. He was elected county executive in 2019.

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.

For a second term, Sidhu told The Bellingham Herald that he wants to renew his focus on housing and expanding mental health treatment services.

He’d encourage building a range of housing sizes for different income levels, including renters, in urban growth areas and create a “wetland bank” to offset the impact of development. Short-term efforts could include more tiny homes to get people off the street.

“I think another 100 tiny homes is not a bad idea, but we are not addressing why homelessness keeps rising. Tiny homes are only a Band-Aid, a temporary solution,” Sidhu said.

It’s important to expand mental health treatment programs inside the jail, “but we need a much bigger facility outside the jail so that people don’t have to go to jail to get help. New mental health service outside the jail could put people on a different path,” he said.

Besides the pandemic and flooding, Sidhu’s first term was marked by the racial justice movement that arose 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.

“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.

Such efforts at collaborative problem-solving are his strong suit, Sidhu told The Herald.

“It’s in everyone’s best interest to be at the table. You have to bring everyone along. This is how the world works,” he said.

In addition to the Whatcom Democrats, Sidhu is endorsed by two of his primary election opponents, County Council member Barry Buchanan and 42nd District state Rep. Alicia Rule (D-Blaine), along with elected leaders such as 42nd District state Sen. Sharon Shewmake (D-Bellingham), U.S. Rep. Rick Larsen (D-Everett), Bellingham Mayor Seth Fleetwood, and Whatcom County Council members Todd Donovan, Carol Frazey and Kaylee Galloway.

In addition, he’s endorsed by Lummi Nation and the Nooksack Tribe, Planned Parenthood, the Sierra Club, and labor unions including the United Food and Commercial Workers 3000 and SEIU Healthcare 199NW.

Sidhu has raised $104,691 for his campaign, according to the state Public Disclosure Commission.

Dan Purdy

This is Purdy’s first run for elective office. He is 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.

“I’m a process ninja” when it comes procurement and supply-chain management, Purdy told the Bellingham City Club at a candidate forum.

Key to his campaign is a 100-day plan that includes creating a plan to address homelessness; focusing on crime prevention; making it easier to do business; improving conditions in the current county jail; reviewing the permitting process, and establishing an emergency response fund.

“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.

To ease the homeless crisis, “all things are on the table. All options are on the table as temporary solutions. (But) I’m not in favor of creating large RV parking lots,” Purdy said in an interview.

For the jail, he would raise the pay of employees, improve the quality of food, and eliminate mold in the building.

“That’s stuff we can do. These are low-hanging fruits to bring the jail up to some standard that’s better than what it is today,” he said.

Further, Purdy said he would “provide law enforcement with the right tools” to fight crime.

“There needs to be a swift response to criminal behavior. Basically, we’re incentivizing bad behavior” such as retail theft and drug use.

He’d also like to fund a “comprehensive training facility” for law-enforcement officers, firefighters and emergency medical services as part of plan to expand the Sheriff’s Office Division of Emergency Management.

“What happens when we stress the system and the lights go out? I think they deserve a lot more than what they’ve been given,” he said.

In addition to his academic degrees, Purdy is certified in business principles that focus on 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.

In addition to the Whatcom Republicans, Purdy is endorsed by former state Sen. Simon Sefzik, R-Ferndale, Port Commissioner Ken Bell, and former Sumas Mayor Kyle Christensen.

He has raised $90,773 for his campaign, according to the state Public Disclosure Commission.

All voting is by mail in Washington state. Ballots must be postmarked — not simply placed in the mail — by 8 p.m. Nov. 7 to be counted. Ballots can also be placed in official ballot drop boxes that will be locked when polling closes.