Letters to the Editor, Week of Jan. 27, 2022

Editor,

The Reverend Doctor Martin Luther King Jr. famously said “The time is always right, to do what is right.” On this, nearly all of us agree. Where we tend to drift apart, is what we think is “right.” It should be no surprise, that what most concerns the League of Women Voters, is the right to vote, as that is the cornerstone of our democracy. In the US, over the past 233 years, we have seen more access to voting for more of our citizens. But it has been a tough road with many potholes.

The members of the LWV recognize that the source of our power, compassion, conviction, brilliance, and resilience, as a country, lies not only in our representative democracy but in the diversity of our citizens. As we begin a new year, it is essential that we guarantee the right and access to vote for all citizens through the Freedom to Vote Act (S.2747) and restore and strengthen the bipartisan Voting Rights Act of 1965 by passing the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act (VRAA).

Reverend Doctor Martin Luther King Jr. said, “No one is free until we are all free.” The League of Women Voters has been fighting for the right to vote for over 100 years and voting is the foundation of a strong democracy where all can enjoy the richness of an engaged, diverse society. I urge you to raise your voice and BE A VOTER.

Joy Monjure, President

League of Women Voters, Bellingham/Whatcom County 

 

Editor,

I love Bellingham Police. I’ve seen integrity, service, and personal sacrifice in our officers that far exceeds the calling of any other profession. While I believe my respect for BPD reflects most of our citizens, I worry we have become complacent about the fate of law enforcement.

Society is becoming increasingly dangerous. While Law Enforcement Officers are injured and losing their lives in the line of duty, the news is full of continual reminders that some people paint law enforcement with the same ugly brush. Out of millions of police contacts daily, very few have been from rogue officers.

BPD officers have served us well for years. They are highly educated, trained, and maintain incredible professionalism (and restraint!) as they provide our city invaluable service.

They and their families have endured verbal abuse and physical threats. New laws are ambiguous and have made it increasingly difficult for them to act on criminal activity. Officers are vulnerable to the threat of legal actions against them if they carry out their legal duties. Yet they continue to provide professional service and are dedicated to a much higher ethical standard than any of us have ever been called on to perform.

I worry if we, the Bellingham community, don’t let BPD know of our appreciation, respect and support, we will continue to lose the best officers a city could have. There has been a high attrition rate for over a year and BPD is significantly understaffed. Recruiting qualified law enforcement professionals has become difficult, especially on the west coast, due to radical societal attitudes. The remaining officers must cover multiple roles with heavy hearts. No doubt conflicted hearts.

The impact today is we have lost many services. Traffic, Drug, Outreach, Anti-crime (habitual offenders, neighborhoods, trends), School Resource, and Behavioral Health are a few examples. Remaining officers are mandated to work long days, up to 16 hours. Burnout is a big concern.

We must resolve this to the best of our ability. Start with walking in their shoes and imagine why anyone would want to protect a community that may not have their back? The Defund Police movement has bled our law enforcement dry.

I implore you to do something, even if you don’t normally get involved. Wave, smile and thank our officers. Write letters to our city and state officials letting them know you support better funding police and want better laws to protect them. Share your stories of how police officers have helped you. Report all crimes, these are vital statistics in funding. Elect public officials who support law enforcement.

You can learn more about what our police do for us. Check our these interesting YouTube videos: https://www.youtube.com/user/BellinghamPD

Get involved! We are at risk of losing a century of improvements in our public safety.

Ginger Decker

Bellingham

Editor,

Ranked-choice voting (RCV), which allows voters to rank-order candidates on their ballot, continues to attract interest nationwide (see: FairVote.org/rcv). Proponents claim RCV increases voter engagement, encourages civil issue-focused campaigns, and ensures those elected have broad support. Voters have more influence and candidates have better incentives.

Our top-two primary election system is state-mandated so RCV is not currently an option. That could change if the RCV Local Options Bill (SHB 1156/SB 5584) currently in the State Legislature passes permitting RCV for local elections. Localities would then need to decide whether to continue our current system or if not how to adopt RCV. There are several possibilities.

RCV can make primaries unnecessary as 23 Utah cities did last year. In each race with more than two candidates all competed on a single RCV November ballot. With a large field ranking can be limited – in one New York City election last year voters could rank no more than five of 13 on their ballot.

Another possibility is to keep primaries but advance the top-five to an RCV general election. Only races with more than five candidates would need a primary. None of the primaries last August in Whatcom, Skagit, or San Juan Counties had more than five candidates, so none would have been needed. Fewer primaries reduce costs and focus attention on the larger-turnout general. In 2020 Alaska passed a citizen-led ballot initiative and this year will begin using open primaries with the top-four advancing to an RCV general for all state-wide and presidential elections.

Our election system in Washington is exemplary: open primaries, easy registration, and secure vote-by-mail. If our State Legislature passes the RCV Local Options Bill localities will have an opportunity to take – if they wish – another step forward.

John Whitmer

Bellingham