When I took office two years ago I committed to run the City with respect, relationships and results. As we reflect on our many accomplishments in the past year, those ideals stand out as key to our successes. And continuing these principles will be essential to our work in 2014. 2013 successes We’ve had many ... Read more

Just in time for the holidays we are hosting a beautiful, wintry, glittery art exhibition that carries an important message about our planet’s majestic frozen landscapes. That message is: Ice matters, and the Earth’s icy places are rapidly changing. The City’s Whatcom Museum is proud to host Vanishing Ice: Alpine and Polar Landscapes in Art ... Read more

In the past several months, it has become increasingly clear that innovative solutions need to be found to address some of our most pressing community issues, especially downtown. Because of this, I have convened a Community Solutions Workgroup. The purpose of the Community Solutions Workgroup is to convene selected community stakeholders and city staff to ... Read more

On Monday, October 7, I will present to the Bellingham City Council my 2014 adjusted budget, containing proposed expenditures guided by direction from the Council, our on-going discussions about priorities, and principles and proposals developed with my leadership team. A spending plan for 2014 was adopted by the City Council along with the 2013 budget. ... Read more

T​he City provides public services and houses employees at more than 30 locations throughout our community. Our oldest and newest buildings are part of the Whatcom Museum campus, with the Old City Hall Building, completed 121 years ago in 1892, and the Lightcatcher Building, completed just four years ago in 2009. Most City buildings, however, ... Read more

A​ffordable housing is an issue that faces everyone in our community at one time or another – from the young families who are first-time homebuyers trying to find a neighborhood home, to the students who are renting and trying to get through school, to the homeowner who wants to convert a garage to a mother-in-law ... Read more