Bellingham School District elections (2013)

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2013 Bellingham School District Elections
General Election date:
November 5, 2013
Table of Contents
About the district Method of election Elections What was at stake? Key deadlines Additional elections External links References
See also
Washington Bellingham School District

Two seats were up for election on the Bellingham Board of Directors. Seats in Positions 4 and 5 were on the ballot for the November 5, 2013, general election. Steven H. Smith defeated John H. Blethen for the Position 4 seat, while Scott Stockburger ran unopposed and won the Position 5 seat.

About the district

See also: Bellingham School District, Washington

Bellingham School District is based in Whatcom County, which is situated along the border between the United States and Canada. The population of Bellingham was 80,885 according to the 2010 U.S. Census.

Demographics

In 2013, Bellingham outperformed state averages for higher education achievement while underperforming in median income and poverty rate. The percentage of city residents over 25 years old with undergraduate degrees (38.6%) exceeded the state average (31.4%). The 2010 U.S. Census calculated Bellingham's median income at $39,299 while the state median income was $58,890. Bellingham had a poverty rate of 22.6% in the 2010 U.S. Census while the state rate was 12.5%.

Racial Demographics, 2012
Race	Bellingham (%)	Washington (%)
White	84.9	77.3
Black or African American	1.3	3.6
American Indian and Alaska Native	1.3	1.5
Asian	5.1	7.2
Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander	0.3	0.6
Two or More Races	4.3	4.7
Hispanic or Latino	7.0	11.2

Presidential Voting Pattern
Year	Democratic Vote (%)	Republican Vote (%)
2012	55.4	41.4
2008	58.0	40.0
2004	53.4	44.6
2000	46.1	46.5

Note: Percentages for race and ethnicity may add up to more than 100 percent because respondents may report more than one race and the Hispanic/Latino ethnicity may be selected in conjunction with any race. Read more about race and ethnicity in the census here.

Method of board member selection

The Bellingham Board of Directors consists of five members who are elected at-large to four-year terms. There was a primary for the Position 4 seat on August 6, 2013 while Position 5 did not have a primary because Scott Stockburger ran unopposed. Seats in Positions 1, 2 and 3 were up for election on November 3, 2015.

Elections in Washington require candidates to pay filing fees equal to 1% of a position's annual salary. Board members in Bellingham can be reimbursed up to $4,800 for district activities but do not receive salaries, which eliminates the filing fee. Candidates were required to file nominating petitions by May 17, 2013 to qualify for the November ballot. Each candidate could also submit a photo and statement of 100 words or less by May 24, 2013 for the local voters' pamphlet.

Position 4

• Steven H. Smith
  • Incumbent
  • Graduate, Iowa State University and Oklahoma State University
• John H. Blethen
  • Graduate, Antioch College and Western Washington University
  • Owner, Whatcom Interiors

Position 5

• Scott Stockburger
  • Incumbent
  • Graduate, Hampshire College and University of Arkansas
  • Family physician

Results

General election

Bellingham Board of Directors, Four-year term, Position 4, 2013
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Nonpartisan	Steven H. Smith Incumbent	53.5%	14,725
	Nonpartisan	John H. Blethen	46.5%	12,779
Total Votes				27,504
Source: Whatcom County Elections, "November 5, 2013 General Election," November 26, 2013

Bellingham Board of Directors, Four-year term, Position 5, 2013
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Nonpartisan	Scott Stockburger Incumbent	100%	21,063
Total Votes				21,063
Source: Whatcom County Elections, "November 5, 2013 General Election," November 26, 2013

Primary

A primary was held on August 6, 2013 for the Position 4 seat on the board. Incumbent Steven H. Smith and challenger John H. Blethen advanced to the November 5, 2013 general election.

Bellingham Board of Directors, Primary, Position 4, August 6, 2013
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Nonpartisan	Steven H. Smith Incumbent	53.1%	6,904
	Nonpartisan	John H. Blethen	29.2%	3,791
	Nonpartisan	Hue Beattie	17.7%	2,305
Total Votes				13,000
Source: Whatcom County Elections

Endorsements

The Bellingham Herald endorsed Steven H. Smith for the Position 4 seat ahead of the November 5, 2013 general election.

Campaign finance

No contributions or expenditures were reported during the election, according to the Washington Public Disclosure Commission.

Past elections

2011

Bellingham Board of Directors, Position 1, November 8, 2011
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Nonpartisan	Camille Diaz Hackler	100%	20,361
Total Votes				20,361
Source: Whatcom County Elections

Bellingham Board of Directors, Position 2, November 8, 2011
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Nonpartisan	Ken Gass	100%	21,195
Total Votes				21,195
Source: Whatcom County Elections

Bellingham Board of Directors, Position 3, November 8, 2011
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Nonpartisan	Kelly Bashaw	100%	20,883
Total Votes				20,883
Source: Whatcom County Elections

What was at stake?

Incumbent Steven H. Smith ran for a second term in the Position 4 seat against challenger John H. Blethen. Scott Stockburger won re-election to the Position 5 seat without opposition.

Issues

The district experienced a 3.5% increase in enrollment between 2008 and 2012. The district budget decreased by $1.5 million between 2011 and 2012. An issue in the Position 4 race was the closure of Larrabee Elementary School, which was slated for the end of the 2013-2014 school year. Smith voted along with three board members to close the school due to low performance and long-term renovation plans for district schools. Blethen and Hue Beattie opposed Smith in the August 6, 2013 primary due to his vote on Larrabee Elementary. Stockburger was the single vote to prevent Larrabee's closure and did not face opposition for his seat.

Smith also supportd a $160 million bond on the November 5, 2013 ballot. The bond would have supported renovation of district facilities including $73 million for Sehome High School and a $17 million remodeling of district offices. Beattie believed that community involvement in renovation could bring down costs while Blethen advocated for a more gradual renovation process that would not require a large bond measure.

Key deadlines

The following dates were key deadlines for the Bellingham Board of Directors election in 2013:

Deadline	Event
April 29, 2013	First day to file nominating petitions by mail
May 13, 2013	First day to file nominating petitions online or in-person
May 17, 2013	Last day to file nominating petitions
May 24, 2013	Last day to submit photo and candidate statement for local voters' pamphlet
August 6, 2013	Primary day
November 5, 2013	Election day
November 26, 2013	Certification of vote results by county
December 5, 2013	Certification of vote results by state

Additional elections on the ballot

The Bellingham Board of Directors election shared the ballot with local and county elections. The November 5, 2013 ballot featured a bond measure totaling $160 million for school renovations and maintenance. Voters chose four members of the Bellingham City Council as well as a judge on the Municipal Court. The ballot featured two seats on the Port of Bellingham Commission. Residents of Whatcom County also selected four members of the County Commission. There were two statewide initiatives and five advisory votes on the November 5, 2013 ballot.

See also

• Washington
• Bellingham School District, Washington
• List of school board elections in 2013
• Whatcom County, Washington ballot measures
• Financial policies, education standards at stake in November school board elections
• School board election wrap-up: Incumbents re-elected overwhelmingly in November 5 elections
• School board elections review: Voters opt for experience over new blood in nation's largest school districts

External links

Suggest a link

• District page
• Whatcom County Elections