Represents: 3rd Ward
Term: Jan 2023 – Dec 2027
Phone: (360) 778-8213
Email:dchammill@cob.org
Dan Hammill was unanimously appointed by Bellingham City Council in 2014 to represent Bellingham’s Third Ward. He was then elected by a vote of the people in 2015 and re-elected again in 2019 and 2023. He sought the office because he wants to work on behalf of the things that make Bellingham a great place to live: a strong sense of community, healthy families, distinct neighborhoods, our great local businesses and nonprofit providers, and access to open spaces and greenways.
Dan has been a leader on the issues that Bellingham residents care about: homelessness and affordable housing, climate change, managing how Bellingham grows, and keeping our community safe and thriving and making sure people have access to mental health services. Dan champions protections for renters, and drives policies that reduce crime and keep the community safe while getting those charged with low-level drug crimes the help they need. He’s been a leader on climate change action and for protections for our local environment, like ensuring Galbraith Mountain remains open for bikers, runners and hikers.
Dan has brought forth and fought for the following pieces of legislation, action, policies and programs:
- Source of income discrimination
- Ban the Box for City applicants
- Galbraith Mountain
- Affirmation of Women’s Reproductive Rights
- GRACE (Ground Level Response and Coordinated Engagement)
- Electronic Home Monitoring
- Purchase of the Aloha Motel site for redevelopment
- Julianna Park in Cordata
- Community Paramedic
- Behavioral Health Officer
- Protection of Mobile Home Park residents from redevelopment
- New 32-bed Crisis Stabilization Center in Irongate
- Greenways
- Bellingham Home Fund
- Drinking water protection: Lake Whatcom TMDL
- Waterfront redevelopment: Laurel & Granary, Acid Ball at Waypoint
- Immigration Advisory Committee
- Supporting water service to Lummi Nation
Dan will be a leader on the following issues moving forward:
- Single-use plastics ban
- Children’s Initiative
- New Public Health, Safety and Justice Initiative
- Support waterfront redevelopment with the Port
- Open public access to the future Parks property at the foot of Cornwall Avenue
- Climate Action initiatives including redevelopment of solid waste treatment at Post Point
- Work together with state legislators in Olympia for more funds for affordable housing and mental health services
- Work with Lummi Nation for regional economic growth opportunities
Dan is the first City Council President to read a land acknowledgment at the beginning of every Council meeting.
Dan chairs the City Council Public Health, Safety and Justice Committee and serves on the following Committees: Planning, and Climate Action.
Dan firmly believes in the value of serving in a governance role on a diverse range of boards to better understand the needs of the community. He has served on over 30 boards since he started on Council and is on the following Boards, Commissions and Task Forces:
- Incarceration Prevention and Reduction Task Force (IPRTF)
- Chair, Behavioral Health Committee, IPRTF
- Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault Services (DVSAS)
- Law Enforcement Assisted Diversion Policy Team
- Law Enforcement Assisted Diversion Communications Team
- WHAT-COMM Advisory Board
- Franchise Workgroup
Dan envisions and works towards building a community that embraces its unique character as it continues to grow and thrive. He recognizes that in this growth we face challenges and opportunities that both reflect and define us by the choices that we make. Dan brings a collaborative approach to issues around land use, zoning, neighborhood preservation, infrastructure maintenance and development, water issues, public safety, transportation, housing, infill, and environmental protections.
Dan has been engaged in the community in many ways in the past 30 years, from being a literacy tutor to serving as president of the York Neighborhood Association. He and his wife, long-time Bellingham School Board Member Kelly Bashaw, are proud Kulshan Community Land Trust homeowners in the Sunnyland Neighborhood. Kelly brought her home into their marriage in 2012 and they manage it as a rental in the Roosevelt neighborhood.
In 2012, Dan helped lead an effort to provide affordable housing for seniors, veterans, people with disabilities, and families with low incomes. The Bellingham Home Fund was approved by 57% of voters and now builds and preserves affordable housing and provides supportive services for local citizens. It passed again in 2018 by an even wider margin.
Dan owns a fund development business that has worked with local organizations like Kulshan Community Land Trust, the Opportunity Council, and Brigid Collins Family Support Center.
Email is the best way to reach Dan at dchammill@cob.org
Contacts
210 Lottie Street
Bellingham, WA 98225
Phone: (360) 778-8213
Email: dchammill@cob.org
Email All Council Members: City Council
