Ultimately, living wage job creation is probably the best way to combat poverty.

The mission of every port in Washington state is to operate public transportation systems in the public interest, and to act as a local economic development agency. Expanding the economy through partnerships with existing businesses, as well as recruitment of new businesses, The success of these efforts assists people at every economic level. Some people will get a job that previously didn't exist, or they will get a better job utilizing their previous experience, job training or experience.

While entry level jobs may not be created directly, they are created indirectly as more people have disposable income and the volume of business at all levels increases. The question has been asked as to how low income households can become more self sufficient? There are many social service agencies that have a direct role in this. Ports are limited by state law in the scope of public assistance, and the best thing they can do for all people is to create opportunity and employment in whatever arena that exists. In a recently released report by the newly created Washington State Department of Commerce, they specifically advise that a broader recruitment is preferable to a narrow one. An example is that many people would like to see new jobs in "high tech", but that is limited by competing communities that already have a substantial investment in technology, or have an advantage by virtue of location. Our strategy is to grow jobs in areas where we have a local advantage, such as proximity to Canada, existing educated work force via Western Washington University and others, or long standing sectors that could be expanded.

Affordable housing can be directly addressed by inclusion in the development of the new Waterfront District. The local housing authority is well known for their successes in developing affordable housing. The residential component of the new District will reflect living options for all income levels though partnerships with the authority and the Kulshan Land Trust.

Finally, the social service sector of the community is to some extent dependant on the generosity of the citizens, either through philanthropy or willingness to support programs through local taxes. Giving and support is directly related to a personal sense of security, and a strong local economy is a primary necessity.

Personally, I am a member of the YWCA Trustees which assists homeless and other women in need of help. As a member of the Rotary Club of Bellingham, I was on a committee that successfully recommended a club donation in excess of $100,000.

s The Port's best efforts to help Whatcom County families will be toward job creation. A local, strong and diverse business base that needs workers will bring in those dollars that can be earned and spent here, that multiplier effect will further ensure a strong and stable Whatcom County economy where work requiring all skill levels will be in available.

County and City governments should reduce development complexity and delay that results in escalating cost and reduced economic competitive posture for the private business sector. Governments should take a more aggressive role in providing centralized infrastructure in lieu of a multitude of relatively expensive, site specific facilities. Avoiding site specific infrastructure, presently capitalized by employers, increases the private sector's competitive posture, increases employment and allows more favorable wages. The resulting higher employment and better paying jobs creates a more robust economy and provides an improved tax base for local governments to maintain infrastructure, provide public safety and the many other services our society needs and desires.

I would consider investing these funds in expanding our Community and Technical Colleges to provide more classrooms and options for degrees/certificates. The Bellingham Herald reported on Oct. 4th that many classes are full at Whatcom Community College as students are trying to upgrade their skills to be more competitive in these challenging economic times. I suspect the same is true at Bellingham Technical College. I know there are several programs there that have waiting lists. A project such as this would provide good paying jobs during the construction phase and would continue to create opportunities for skill development and higher education for all county residents.

Any decision regarding the use of economic development investment funds, or pursuit of federal and state funds, should meet the test of bringing economic prosperity to our community. I plan to advocate restructuring the County Economic Development Investment Board to better evaluate the types of economic development projects the county funds. Using these funds in ways that directly improve opportunities for existing low income residences either through jobs or through improving their opportunities for self efficiency should be a primary goal of economic development investment. Economic development should be recognized as more than simply job creation. I believe it may be an appropriate use of economic development funds to provide support for affordable housing projects and service center development to assist people in need.

Candidate did not provide a response by the deadline.

Bellingham has a difficult situation, as our border, coastline and mountainous regions collect a disproportionate share of people without roots, without jobs, and without housing. We need to recognize the ripple effects this can have on our community. I think we do a worthy job of supporting programs such as the Opportunity Council that do important work. I think we need dedicated facilities where substance abusers and/or the mentally ill can get treatment, transitional housing, and job-training skills. The most important thing we can do is give people hope and an opportunity to be self-sufficient, because the alternatives are unsustainable. Economic development funds should be used to stimulate innovative and future-oriented businesses that have proven potential for job creation and living wage jobs.

I believe in the concept of leveraging, where we combine limited government funds with those of other entities, such as our educational institutions, our Chambers of Commerce, and so on, to get the most bang for the buck. I have great respect for the work of the Opportunity Council, Catholic Community Services and other agencies. I will strive to keep lines of communication open between County Government and these important groups.

Unfortunately the majority of the only designated source of economic development money available to the County is required by state law to be used in a fairly narrowly defined way on the construction of public facilities. While these facilities are important and do help the communities they are built in, a clear connection to job creation is often missing. I would support the expansion of the types of projects considered for this money to include the building of job training centers, affordable housing, and publicly owned facilities that can be shared with small business enterprises (certified kitchens, small cannery, computer center, etc) that could be directly tied to job creation for existing low income families. Of course the use of this money to construct such facilities has to be matched by an even larger ongoing commitment to maintain and operate the facilities once built. I believe this commitment needs to come from sources other than County government, and to date I know of no entity that has approached the County about such a partnership.

One other consideration is that according to state law (RCW 82.14.370) this money is only available to "rural" counties, and according to recent information Whatcom County will lose its' "rural" county designation at some point in the next decade. Without a change to state law even this limited money will disappear. I support starting now to work with our state legislators to get this law changed.

Our local agriculture industry should not be overlooked as part of the answer to this question. Economic development money should always consider the agriculture industry as a priority. Agriculture provides thousands of jobs for the community. Some are seasonal, but many are year-round, living-wage jobs. Currently, agriculture is hurting, particularly the dairies that are going out of business. We really need economic recovery in the ag community. I'm also interested in recent discussions about local food for local use. Because I was a driver delivering dairy products for many years, I know first-hand how food products get moved.

We can encourage our government to invest in itself, and that alone can create some much needed work in our county. By building a community resource center, by enhancing our parks, supporting our non-profit agencies, and sustainable industries, like agriculture, all of these measure provide much needed jobs in our community. I would like to explore other options as well, so I'm open to suggestions in this area.

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We have to use local dollars as matches and in other ways to leverage state and federal dollars whenever possible. We can also review policies, and in many cases, reduce fees or requirements to reduce a projects overall cost. For example we reduced the parking requirement for the new Walton low income housing project because experience has shown that our Walton residents will not need the same number of cars per unit as other housing units require. Since this unit is in town, other transportation options are more likely to be utilized in meeting the needs of this population group. Urban village plans, with Old Town being the first, include bonuses for increased densities and low income housing units as a part of large new construction projects. Policies like the Infill Toolkit are designed to support increased densities in our urban centers which will help provide more housing that benefits all populations, including low income folks.

When considering how limited funds should be invested in our community it is important to remember the creating self-sufficiency is the goal. Programs which support partnerships in the community and provide skills which can be built upon are the most successful. Stable housing is a crucial element in self-sufficiency and the programs funded which support this should continue to receive funding such as the YWCA, Lydia Place, Opportunity Council, Womencare and Northwest Youth Services. These programs provide the foundation to allow families in crisis to get back on their feet, resources to other programs in the community and provide a sense of safety and predictability.

Secondly, programs which provide services to children in early learning are crucial to maintain such as Head Start-Early Childhood Opportunities NW and the Bellingham Childcare and Learning Center, as well as services for school aged children such as the Boys and Girls Clubs.

Third I would like to see more resources to support programs for young adults transitioning to self-sufficiency. We must provide opportunities for those young adults not going to college through training and job development. I believe this population is often forgotten. This summer the State of Washington used some of the stimulus money to help local worksource offices. Here in Whatcom County money was used to pay teenagers to work in our community. This was a very positive experience both for employers as well as the participants.

Again, I think employment is central. I think we need to do a better job of preparing or re-tooling low-income family members for the local jobs currently available and those that are likely in the near-future. There are already many programs in place designed to support and create opportunities for lower-income people, giving us a strong place to start. By listening those who provide these services and those who need them, we can support what is working and fix what is not. In some cases, dollars might need to be used to mitigate the risk for the employer taking a chance on a developing worker; in other cases, the key may be better links between employers, unions, and vocational training programs. Such programs would directly benefit all parties involved and find natural support.

They should be invested in projects that build homes for people whose income is at or below 80 percent of the area medium income thus ensuring affordable homes but also earning a profit for builders and their employees. We would thus address two economic problems at once; money in the pockets of builders and homes that are more affordable to people.

Limited economic development funds should be leveraged so that more employment opportunities are available for all of our citizens. Working with local businesses to make it easier to expand so more jobs can be created as well as attracting new employers into the City is the most effective way to use these funds.