Douglas Benjamin
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Douglas Benjamin is an at-large representative on the Bellingham School District school board in Washington. First appointed in 2014, Benjamin won a new term in the at-large general election on November 7, 2017.
Biography
Benjamin's professional experience includes working as a licensed mental health counselor and healthcare administrator. He has served as the chair of the Whatcom County Public Health Advisory Board and on the Integration Task Force of the Whatcom Alliance for Healthcare Access. Benjamin earned his master's degree in clinical and counseling psychology from Western Washington University and his bachelor's degree in psychology and political science from Seattle Pacific University.[1]
Elections
2017
Two of the five seats on the Bellingham School District school board in Washington were up for at-large general election on November 7, 2017. Two candidates filed for the open Position 4 seat, with Jenn Mason defeating Teri Hill-McIntyre. Position 5 board member Douglas Benjamin filed for re-election and ran unopposed, winning another term.[2]
Results
| Bellingham School District, Position 5 General Election, 4-year term, 2017 |
||
|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
 Douglas Benjamin Incumbent (unopposed) |
100.00% | 20,619 |
| Total Votes | 20,619 | |
| Source: Whatcom County, "November 7, 2017 General Election," accessed November 22, 2017These election results are unofficial and will be updated after official vote totals are made available. | ||
2015
Four of the five seats on the Bellingham school board were up for election in 2015. Positions 1, 2, 3, and 5 were up for election. All seats on the board were elected at large by the registered voters of the entire school district.
At-large incumbents Camille Diaz Hackler, Kenneth Gass, and Kelly Bashaw's terms were up for general election. Hackler and Bashaw won re-election without opposition to seats in Position 1 and Position 3, respectively.[2]
Gass did not file to seek re-election to Position 2. Because more than two candidates filed for the race, a primary election for that seat was held on August 4, 2015. Five candidates filed for the open seat race: Jono Manion, Quenby Peterson, Dylan Richardson, Anthony Wallace, and Shannon Wright. Richardson and Wright dropped out before the primary election. The top two vote recipients in the three-way Position 2 race advanced from the primary election to the November 2015 ballot.[2] Peterson won the primary with more than 60 percent of the votes reported on August 6, 2015. Manion was the second winner, beating Wallace by just 24 votes. Peterson defeated Manion in the general election.
The fourth at-large seat, Position 5, was up for special election. The unexpired term was created by Scott Stockburger's resignation from the board on June 12, 2014, due to health concerns.[3] Douglas Benjamin was appointed to fill the open seat in August 2014. He won the unexpired term without opposition. The term expired after the 2017 general election.[2]
Results
| Bellingham School District Board of Directors, Position 5 General Election, 2-year unexpired term, 2015 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
| Douglas Benjamin Incumbent |
100.0% | 17,126 |
| Write-in votes | 0% | 0 |
| Total Votes | 17,126 | |
| Source: Whatcom County Auditor, Election Division, "November 3, 2015 General Election," November 23, 2015 | ||
Funding
Benjamin reported no contributions or expenditures to the Washington Public Disclosure Commission in this election.[4]
Endorsements
Benjamin received no official endorsements in this election.
Campaign themes
2017
Benjamin submitted the following statement to the Whatcom County voters' guide:[1]
| “ | I was unanimously appointed to the Bellingham School Board in 2014, then elected by voters in 2015, and now seek a full four-year term. I was elected Board President this year and I am very proud of the accomplishments we’ve made together. With district leadership we completed a fast-paced and phenomenal number of necessary capital projects: a new school at Happy Valley, major additions to Lowell and Parkview, the new Options High School, and started on a new school for Sehome. We passed the much needed and first-ever Transportation Levy, thanks to the tremendous support of you the voters! My five children all attended the Bellingham schools, the youngest still does, and I am a firm believer in the Board’s strategic plan The Bellingham Promise , which holds the bar high ensuring every child gets the education they need and deserve, along with great teachers who get strong support. As we look forward, there is more to do; holding the State accountable for their constitutional mandate to amply and fully fund public schools, equity for all students and more. I look forward to your vote so we can continue this very important work.[5] | ” |
| —Douglas Benjamin (2017)[1] | ||
See also
- Bellingham School District, Washington
- Bellingham School District elections (2017)
- Bellingham School District elections (2015)
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Washington Secretary of State, "Voters' Guide," accessed September 27, 2017
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 Whatcom County, "Candidate Ballot Order for Primary and General Election 2017," accessed May 24, 2017 Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; name "candidates" defined multiple times with different content - ↑ KGMI, "School Board position up for grabs," June 13, 2014
- ↑ Washington Public Disclosure Commission, "Search the Database: Local Candidates," accessed October 30, 2015
- ↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
| Bellingham School District elections in 2017 | |
| Whatcom County, Washington | |
| Election date: | November 7, 2017 |
| Candidates: | Position 4: Teri Hill-McIntyre • Jenn Mason Position 5: Incumbent, Douglas Benjamin |
| Important information: | What was at stake? |
