Barbara Brenner (politician)

Barbara Brenner
Whatcom County Councilmember, District 3, Position B
Assumed office
January 1992[1]
Website County council website

Barbara Brenner is currently a member of the Whatcom County Council in Washington State. She was first elected in 1991, for Position B in Council District 3, and is serving her 7th term on the council.[1] She is the longest-serving council member and currently the only woman on the council.[2]

Political career

Before running for elected office, Brenner became active in politics in 1989 by staging a sit-in on the steps of the Washington State Capitol to protest against a local incinerator burning hospital waste.[3] She was commended by the non-profit Giraffe Heroes Project,[4] recognizing people who "stick their neck out for the common good."[5]

Throughout her career, Brenner has run without soliciting large donations, filing campaign finance disclosures that report less than $5,000 raised in her campaigns.[6] Brenner also does not accept any endorsements,[1] unlike most Whatcom county council members who are usually endorsed by one local party or the other.[7] As an independent, Brenner has been the swing vote on the council throughout most of her tenure.[8] However, since the liberal sweep of the four council seats up for election in 2013[9] and the retirement of Sam Crawford in 2014, Brenner has been the lone dissenting voice on several controversial votes, such as the council's moratorium on new rural development[10][11], and its decision to block the export of fossil fuels from Cherry Point[12][13][14].

In 2016, Brenner and council member Todd Donovan co-sponsored a resolution to request re-imbursement of $53,000 from the Donald Trump presidential campaign for costs related to Trump's visit to Lynden, Washington on May 7, 2016.[15]

Electoral history

Date Position Status Opponent Result Vote share Opponent vote share
1991 Whatcom County Council District 3, Position B Roger Almskaar Elected 64% 36%
1995 Whatcom County Council District 3, Position B Incumbent Robert Shute Re-elected 78.7% 21.3%
1999 Whatcom County Council District 3, Position B Incumbent Barry Bowen Re-elected 60.8% 39.2%
2003 Whatcom County Council District 3, Position B Incumbent Unopposed Re-elected 100%
2007 Whatcom County Council District 3, Position B Incumbent Unopposed Re-elected 100%
2011 Whatcom County Council District 3, Position B Incumbent Alan Black Re-elected 56.74% 43.26%[16]
2015 Whatcom County Council District 3, Position B Incumbent Unopposed Re-elected 100%

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Barbara Brenner – Whatcom County, WA – Official Website". www.co.whatcom.wa.us. Retrieved 23 July 2017.
  2. ↑ "Interview with Barbara Brenner". Whatcom Wins. Retrieved 2017-07-22.
  3. ↑ USA Weekend Staff (1989-10-15). "Does Your City Have a Hero?". Santa Cruz Sentinel. Retrieved 2017-07-22.
  4. ↑ "Brenner, Barbara". Giraffe Heroes Database. Retrieved 2017-08-02.
  5. ↑ "Giraffe FAQ". Giraffe Heroes Project. Retrieved 2017-08-02.
  6. ↑ Schwartz, Ralph (2015-04-15). "Brenner says she will seek re-election to Whatcom council". The Bellingham Herald. Retrieved 2017-07-02.
  7. ↑ Sweeney, J. Riley (2012-11-20). "Get Ready to RUMBLE: 2013 County Council Preview". The Political Junkie. Retrieved 2017-07-22.
  8. ↑ Servais, John (2009-11-10). "County Council power structure". NorthwestCitizen. Retrieved 2017-07-22.
  9. ↑ Servais, John (2013-11-05). "Election Results - November 2013". NorthwestCitizen. Retrieved 2017-07-22.
  10. ↑ Relyea, Kie (2016-10-26). "Whatcom County temporarily halts work on new developments that depend on rural wells". The Bellingham Herald. Retrieved 2017-07-22.
  11. ↑ Bratt, Calvin (2016-10-27). "County halts rural permit process". The Lynden Tribune. Retrieved 2017-07-22.
  12. ↑ Brownstone, Sydney (2016-10-07). "Whatcom County Bans New Fossil Fuel Export Projects for the Next Six Months". The Stranger. Retrieved 2017-07-22.
  13. ↑ Yasui, Bryn (2016-10-04). "Unrefined Exports On Hold at Cherry Point". The Western Front. Retrieved 2017-07-22.
  14. ↑ Hiruko, Ashley (2017-03-29). "County extends Cherry Point moratorium six months". The Lynden Tribune. Retrieved 2017-07-22.
  15. ↑ Mittan, Kyle (2017-05-07). "Whatcom County asked Trump for $53K for Lynden rally security. A year later, no response". The Olympian. Retrieved 2017-07-22.
  16. ↑ "Whatcom County November 08, 2011 General Election". results.vote.wa.gov. Retrieved 23 July 2017.
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