Comment: In Support of Equitable Representation by District

The following comment was presented by Karl Uppiano, District 1, Ferndale, at the February 9 Charter Review Commission meeting.

Whatcom County has a diverse population. The people of District 1 are more urban; the people of Districts 2 & 3 are more rural. Each district has the right to elect representation that reflects their local needs and preferences.

Proponents of at-large representation claim that the Whatcom County Council should represent everyone. That’s absolutely true. But unless my arithmetic fails me, equitable representation by district gives us two councilors per district, and one at-large, which in fact, covers everyone. Councilors and the citizens would have a closer relationship, and more likely to be neighbors.

With the exception of the at-large seat, campaigning by district would involve 1/3 the time, effort, and money per candidate. This makes the job accessible to more people. This ought to appeal to commissioners who want to get the money out of politics. Campaigning by district would also amount to 1/3 the environmental impact, in the form of signs, flyers, rack cards, brochures, and last, but not least, carbon footprint.

If we are going to have districts in this county, then we ought to use them as they were originally intended – representing directly the diverse needs and preferences of all corners of Whatcom County.

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