Mixed results for primary challengers to incumbent Bellingham mayor

BELLINGHAM, Wash. — Six people are running for Bellingham Mayor in the August primary, including incumbent Seth Fleetwood. Four of his challengers are on the ballot, while one, Joel Johnson, is running as a write-in candidate. Fleetwood’s other four opponents are Kim Lund, Kristina Michele Martens, Mike McAuley, and Christopher J. McCoy. The position is a four-year term.

Of the six candidates, Seth Fleetwood and Kim Lund are leading. Trailing behind are Mike McAuley, Kristina Michele Martens, and Christopher J. McCoy.

• Write-in candidate Joel Johnson is a community activist whose grassroots campaign platform is to proclaim a “local public health emergency related to homelessness.”
• Kim Lund says her priorities as mayor would be housing, community health and safety, climate, broadband infrastructure and public shared spaces that foster community connections.
• Bellingham City Councilmember Kristina Michele Martens says priorities during her first term as mayor would include the economy, housing development, protection for renters, investing in sound infrastructure, and modernizing government.
• Mike McAuley says Bellingham’s biggest issues are the unhoused, affordable housing, the climate, and transportation.
• Christopher J. McCoy owns Kombucha Town & Culture Café in downtown Bellingham. The three pillars of his platform are homes for all, living wages for all, and natural beauty for all (protecting the environment).
• Incumbent Seth Fleetwood says his administration’s priorities are increasing affordable housing, addressing climate change, improving public safety, and addressing social issues. If Fleetwood were to win in November’s general election, it would be his second term as mayor.

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