For the first time in the Port of Bellingham's history, voters in a newly drawn District 4 will choose their own commissioner this August. The district, created after Whatcom County voters approved expanding the Port of Bellingham Board of Commissioners from three members to five last year, encompasses a portion of northwest Bellingham and stretches north through parts of Ferndale toward Lynden.
Six candidates are competing in the August 4 primary, with two advancing to the November general election. The race brings together young civic activists, seasoned fishermen, and professionals with backgrounds ranging from maritime trade to law and public policy. All agree the port should be an engine for economic development across Whatcom County, but their visions for what that looks like vary considerably.
The Candidates and Their Priorities
Samantha Cruz-Mendoza, 26, is the youngest person in the race. A Seattle University law student and state legislative policy aide who grew up in Ferndale, she has focused her campaign on the intersection of agriculture and port economics. She has pointed to the port's purchase of Boxx Berry Farm, acquired with the intention of converting it into an agricultural research station, as a model for how the port can invest in Whatcom County's farming community. "Agriculture is a super vital industry for Whatcom County, not just in terms of exports, but also in regard to the connection to the local community and tourism," she said. "Investing into that industry, also while increasing our exports, provides stability for the farming families and farmworker families that tend the fields."
Cruz-Mendoza's framing positions the port not simply as a gateway for goods moving in and out of the region, but as an active stakeholder in the agricultural systems that define Whatcom County's rural economy. The Boxx Berry Farm acquisition, which drew attention when it was announced, represents exactly that kind of thinking: using port resources and land authority to support industries that might otherwise struggle to maintain a foothold in an increasingly expensive region. For Cruz-Mendoza, that model is worth expanding.
Jaden McConnell, 27, of Blaine, argues that building the maritime workforce starts with high school students. McConnell has centered his campaign on connecting young people to careers on the Bellingham waterfront and in the broader maritime trades, emphasizing job creation as the port's primary mandate. His perspective reflects a recognition that the skilled workforce pipelines that once fed the fishing and marine industries have thinned over the decades, and that without deliberate investment in training and apprenticeship pathways, the working waterfront risks losing the human capital it needs to function.
The race also includes candidates with deep roots in commercial fishing and maritime commerce, fields that have historically defined the Port of Bellingham's identity and that remain central to its operations at the working waterfront on Bellingham Bay. Commercial fishing has long been one of the port's anchor industries, and the perspectives of those who have worked the water firsthand bring a practical dimension to the board's deliberations that is difficult to replicate through policy expertise alone.
Why This Race Matters for Whatcom County
The Port of Bellingham is one of the most consequential economic development agencies in Whatcom County. It manages the Bellingham waterfront, Bellingham International Airport, Squalicum Harbor, and significant industrial and commercial real estate across the region. The port has historically played a central role in the county's fishing, agriculture, and trade industries, and it is increasingly involved in efforts to develop the Bellingham waterfront as a mixed-use public space that balances working industrial uses with public access, recreation, and housing.
Those competing priorities make port governance genuinely complex. Decisions about how to zone and develop the waterfront, which industries to support with port infrastructure investments, and how to balance economic growth against environmental stewardship all require commissioners who understand the full breadth of what the port does and who it serves. Adding two new commissioner seats through the expansion approved by voters last year means the board will now have a wider range of perspectives at the table when those decisions are made.
The expansion from three commissioners to five is itself a significant governance change that deserves attention beyond the simple mechanics of adding seats. For decades, three commissioners divided the port's oversight among themselves, and major decisions required only two of them to agree. A five-member board changes the dynamics of coalition-building and deliberation in ways that could make the port more responsive to the diversity of interests across Whatcom County. The new District 4 seat is one of two being filled for the first time, and whoever wins will help set the tone for how the expanded board functions in its early years.
District 4 mirrors Whatcom County Council District 4 in its geographic boundaries, covering northwest Bellingham and parts of Ferndale north toward Lynden. The communities in this district have a mix of urban residential neighborhoods, small businesses, and agricultural land, making the range of candidate backgrounds in this race particularly relevant to the district's actual needs. Voters in this district are choosing a commissioner who will represent both the urban waterfront interests of northwest Bellingham and the rural agricultural communities that stretch north toward the Canadian border.
Primary Ballots Are Already in the Mail
Whatcom County mailed primary ballots on July 15, meaning voters in District 4 can begin marking their choices now. The two candidates who receive the most votes on August 4 will advance to the November general election, where one of them will win the seat and serve on the expanded five-member board. Drop boxes are open across the county through August 4 at 8 p.m., and ballots can also be returned by mail as long as they are postmarked by election day.
The primary is the decisive filtering moment in this race. With six candidates splitting the vote, the margin between advancing and being eliminated could be small, which means every ballot counts in a way that is easy to underestimate in a local race that draws less attention than state or federal contests. Voters who care about the direction of the port's waterfront development strategy, its agricultural investments, its workforce development commitments, or its environmental practices have a real opportunity to shape the outcome by participating in August rather than waiting for November.
For voters who want to dig deeper into the candidates' positions before marking their ballots, the Port of Bellingham's official website provides background on the port's current projects, strategic priorities, and governance structure. Candidate forums and Q&A profiles are being published by local media ahead of the primary, giving voters a more complete picture of each person in the race. The Whatcom County Auditor's Elections page has the full ballot and candidate list available online, and ballot tracking is available at VoteWA.gov. For more election coverage, see the full breakdown of what is on this August's primary ballot in an earlier story on the Whatcom County primary election.
